TWO young rabbits found dead in a back garden hutch by an RSPCA inspector had not been fed or given water for several days, a court heard.

RSPCA inspector Cathy Hyde discovered the four-month-old rabbbits, Flopsy and Mopsy, in a hutch at the rear of a house in Holland Court, Radcliffe, in December last year.

The dead animals lay beside an empty, upturned food bowl and an empty water container.

According to a vet, the Angora-type rabbits were severely emaciated and would have suffered unnecessarily for one to two weeks before death.

The rabbits' owner, Jane Heather Smith, aged 30, pleaded guilty at Bury magistrates court to two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to the rabbits through her failure to provide adequate food, water and attention.

She was banned from keeping any animals for five years.

The defendant was also ordered to pay £200 towards the costs of the prosecution. The magistrates also imposed a curfew order, forcing Smith to stay indoors at her home from 8pm to 6am for 31 days.

The court heard that Smith had personal problems at home.

She admitted in an interview with the RSPCA that she had neglected the rabbits and regretted what had happened.

Following yesterday's hearing, the RSPCA inspector said: "Rabbits are all to often neglected or forgotten.

"While there are many good rabbit owners in the region, there are far too many people who do not ensure that their rabbits are free from distress and suffering.

"In Smith's case, the rabbits simply starved to death, having not been fed or given water.

"There is no excuse for such action and the magistrates have recognised the seriousness of the case by imposing such an order that bans Smith from keeping any animals for five years."