TWO pet shop owners are awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to a series of offences of mistreating animals at their Rishton store.

Neil Hacking, 46, and Kelvin Kirby, 36, both of Hermitage Street, Rishton, have also admitted a string of charges relating to animals kept at an allotment in Holt Street.

They each pleaded guilty to 14 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals. A total of 20 similar charges were withdrawn.

The case was adjourned until April 29 for pre-sentence reports. Kirby and Hacking were granted unconditional bail.

Hyndburn magistrates heard that hundreds of animals were seized following an RSPCA investigation last June.

Chris Wyatt, prosecuting, said the RSPCA was contacted by police concerned about the condition animals were kept in at Creature Comforts.

Mr Wyatt said hundreds of animals, including rabbits, hamsters, rats, mice, gerbils and chinchillas, were denied food, water, comfort, health and space.

He said there was an 'obnoxious' smell, with cages and tanks crammed into a top floor room. Some were filthy and the floor was covered in droppings.

Some cages were so full of waste that animals could no longer stand in their natural positions. Many animals had no food or water. Many cages were half the size they should have been and a dead rat was found in a glass tank containing nine other rats.

Kirby and Hacking were arrested and many of the animals were taken to the RSPCA's Altham shelter. Inspectors then found hundreds of animals, including pigs and poultry, in similar squalid conditions at the allotment.

One of five sheds at the site contained 200 animals. One hutch contained four live rabbits and one dead rabbit. Kirby and Hacking signed over a total of 780 of their 1,500 animals to RSPCA inspectors.

John McNab, defending, said problems had begun after some of the rabbits started dying and the pair made trips to a research centre in Nottinghamshire to find a cure. But that proved expensive and time-consuming and they found it harder to care for the other animals.

Mr McNab said the room above the shop was used for breeding and they had been trying to separate the animals to avoid infection.

He added both men were fully qualified to look after animals but were 'too soft' and took in too many animals, which led to overstocking.

Mr McNab said there was nothing illegal about the size of the cages, but they knew some were too small and both premises were overcrowded. The pair had lost so much trade since the incident, they were selling animal cages to make ends meet.

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