A WOMAN whose three dogs were left to live in ‘filth and squalor’ - to the point one was suffering with alopecia - has been handed a nine-week suspended prison sentence and given a ban from owning animals for five years.

Kimberley Grant, 33, of Kingsland Court in Royston had ignored warnings to clean her property on numerous occasions.

Three malamute type dogs were surrounded by rubbish and piles of faeces in the fly-infested flat.

Inspectors said the conditions were ‘putrid’ and there was a ‘horrific smell of urine’.

The three dogs - a four-year-old female called Mieshka and her two nine-month-old puppies called Toffee and Price - were walking in multiple piles of animal waste and then jumping on a dirty sofa and spreading it around.

All the blinds were closed, so the flat was very dark, and there was no ventilation or open windows.

A significant amount of bluebottle flies could be seen, with further insects on a strip hanging from the ceiling which was completely full.

The older dog also had a large piece of fur missing on her back and all three were often scratching and nibbling at themselves due to issues.

RSPCA inspector Vanessa Reid visited the flat on December 20 last year after the charity received information about the welfare of the animals.

She said: “As I climbed the stairs, there was a horrific and overpowering smell of urine and faeces, and the higher I got, the more my eyes began to sting and water with the ammonia.

“There were multiple piles of fresh faeces present on the landing area, and the carpet was covered in trodden in faeces and dirt.

“Grant immediately reached for a carrier bag which was already full of older faeces, and began picking up some of the piles from the carpet around me.

“The whole area could only be described as putrid.”

The 33-year-old was subsequently issued a warning notice an told that the conditions were not appropriate for her pets.

She said that money was not an issue and she could turn the situation around in a fortnight - but when inspector Reid returned two weeks later she faced a similar situation.

Two days later the Inspector tried again but there was still no answer.

Dogs could be heard barking and a stench was still evident.

Another improvement notice - which highlights what an owner should do to improve conditions for animals - was stuck to the door.

But as the inspector was about to get in her van, Grant walked past.

Inspector Reid added: “She hurried towards the door, opened it, ripped off the notice, and locked the door, just as I got to it.

“The smell immediately after the door had been opened was unbearable, despite being stood outside in the fresh air, so I knew the conditions had not improved.

“I continued shouting through the letterbox and explained that I had no option but to obtain a warrant if she continued to ignore me, but she never opened the door, or spoke back to me.”

Police attended the flat with the RSPCA on February 1 and all three dogs were seized by police.

The vet who examined them at a local practice said Grant had failed to take steps to protect the dogs from pain, suffering, injury or disease and in the case of Mieshka, she hadn’t sought veterinary attention for the dog’s severe flea infestation which had led to extreme pruritus and areas of alopecia.

At Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on October 14, Grant was handed a nine-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and banned from owning animals for five years.

Grant will not be able to contest her five year ban for its duration. She was also ordered to pay £400 in costs and a victim surcharge of £154.

In mitigation the court heard she had poor mental health and could ‘just about cope’ with one dog (Mieshka), but then inexplicably bred from her and ended up with five puppies, two of whom she couldn’t find homes for.

She hadn’t set out to deliberately harm the dogs, she simply couldn’t cope, magistrates were told.

All three dogs have been looked after by the RSPCA and are now ready for rehoming.