House of horrors had hole in roof, dog poo on floor, no carpets and children slept on bare mattresses

A court heard the property on South King Street had a hole in the roof, dog waste on the floor, no carpets and bare mattresses.

A 40-year-old admitted charges of ill treating, neglecting and abandoning the youngest four of her six kids.

Blackpool Magistrates heard police were alerted when the children were seen wandering the streets late at night. They had been into pubs to try and find their mum.

The girls said they had had nothing to eat and were hungry.

There was no fridge or cooker and the setee smelled of urine.

When their mother was interviewed by police she said she was doing two jobs but admitted drinking heavily.

After the children were taken into custody, two of the children were found to have severe headlice infestations.

Robert Castle, defending, said support for the woman had not been forthcoming for her in 2016 when she was on police bail.He claimed she had kept asking social services for help, although the property was let via a private letting agent, not the council.

She had been left to cope on her own by her husband who left, bailiffs had removed her white goods and her mother had died.

Mr Castle added: “This shows how precarious life can be she was overwhelmed by circumstances and could not cope. If she had been found emergency housing we would not have been here now.”

Blackpool Council said: “The council has provided intensive support to this family for a number of years.

“Prior to this incident interventions were attempted on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Despite the best efforts of a number of agencies, to support the mother to address the issues she was facing, the children were placed in foster care.”

The mother was sentenced to a one year community order during which she must do 30 days rehabilitation. She must pay a £85 victim’s surcharge.