SEVEN starving dogs found in appalling conditions in a house in Bury are looking for new homes. RSPCA officers were called out the day before Christmas Eve to a terraced house in Rochdale Old Road, Fairfield, after neighbours complained to Bury's environmental health department about the smell.

When the landlord's builder and a neighbour broke into the empty house, they discovered the emaciated animals locked in two upstairs rooms, living in inches of their own dirt.

Police are now hunting the dogs' owners, who are believed to have moved to the Middleton area. If they are found, they could face cruelty charges.

Supt Bill Cottingham of the RSPCA described the conditions the animals were found in as "horrendous".

He said: "Some had serious skin problems and two had no fur at all left on their backs. Most were emaciated and one had serious foot and head injuries. He needed stitches and had to have a couple of toes amputated.

"The dogs could have been there weeks, possibly months. The conditions they were kept in and the stench were among the worst I have ever experienced in a house. It was horrendous."

All the floors in the house were soaked with urine and dog excrement and littered with broken furniture. The property, which had undergone a £35,000 re-vamp just five years ago, was also infested with mice.

Inspectors from the RSPCA returned on Christmas Eve to collected video evidence, which could be used in a court case against the tenants.

The couple who lived in the house were last seen days before Christmas. When neighbours realised they had gone, leaving the dogs behind, they contacted the landlord, who immediately informed the RSPCA.

Next door neighbour Mr Peter Freestone said: "They were the neighbours from hell. We have been trying to get rid of them since they moved in. I doubt some of those dogs had ever seen the light of day."

Landlord Mr Trevor Mole now faces the grim task of making the house habitable again.

He said: "I feel extremely sorry for the neighbours and the dogs. We did all we could to get rid of these people earlier. The RSPCA and environmental health were contacted on numerous occasions. The house has been ruined and I have lost thousands of pounds."

The animals are now in the safe hands of an animal shelter in Rochdale, and will be re-homed once they are fit.

Officers say it is difficult to tell the age of the dogs because of their poor condition, although many are thought to be quite young.

Supt Cottingham added: "When we first fed them they were starving. They wolfed down a 2lb tin of dog food in seconds.

"But they are looking a little better now and are really quite lovely dogs - they just need a lot of love and attention."

If you can offer a loving home to one of the dogs, or know the whereabouts of their owners, call the RSPCA on 0990 555999.

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