A horror scrap yard where animals were living in their own filth has been exposed by the RSPCA. Cruelly starved and locked in shabby enclosures overloaded with vile faeces the poor animals were left with no food or water.
Shock images of the alarming set up run by John and Lisa Evans have been released by the animal welfare charity, who dubbed the raid as one of the worst rescuers have ever dealt with. Photos detail the squalid conditions that animals were found in alongside a dead kitten and decomposing puppy.
The pair, from Brierley Hill in the West Midlands, have been banned from owning animals following a prosecution, Birmingham Live reports. John Evans was also jailed for the crimes.
A total of 18 dogs, three cats, six horses and a donkey were rescued from the couple's home. They had been kept in kennels, sheds, shipping containers, horse boxes and vans within a scrap yard behind the property.
The case has since been dubbed one of the worst animal welfare cases the charity was faced with. Inspectors from the charity were called to the couple’s address by West Midlands Police at about 9pm on July 29 last year.
RSPCA inspector Jack Alderson said: "This enclosure was too small for this number of animals. There was no hay or any other food available and although there was a large black trough in front of me, it contained nothing.
"The floor was completely sodden with a large build-up of faeces and the roof wasn’t large enough to cover the animals inside. This was compounded by the numerous hazards dotted around the enclosure including gates and ladders on the floor."
The rescue came following concerns for the welfare of animals at the property. Rescuers were forced to use head torches as they searched for animals and initially discovered six horses - including three foals curled up together in a heap on the floor.
Another horse was found in a pen with its ribs and hips 'clearly visible'. There was no food or water in the pen, the floor was covered with faeces and there was a strong smell of ammonia.
Inspectors noticed the only access point to the pen had been blocked with car doors, pallets, a car engine, a large white box, and other large objects. Two kittens were also found inside a shed, along with another dead kitten with a hole in its abdomen exposing flesh and bone.
There was also a skull of another animal, the RSPCA said. Mr Alderson added: "Upon opening the door to the shed, both live kittens rushed to get out.
"Both were in very poor body condition and were calling frantically to show they were very hungry." A horsebox inside the yard had no food or water and was covered in a build-up of faeces and contained another horse with visible ribs and hips.
The horse was also caked in faeces around his legs and feet. Two lurchers were discovered in 'poor bodily condition', tethered to their kennels with no food, water or bedding.
Six more dogs were found in an outdoor kennel - which had dried faeces and old bedding on the floor - without suitable access to water. The body of a decomposing puppy was also uncovered in the back of a white transit van, while a blue horse box-style container nearby had a horse with its ribs and spine visible inside it.
Three dogs were found in a garden and two puppies were uncovered in crates stacked on top of each other within the house. A collie-type dog and a long-haired terrier were also within a crate, which had no bedding, food or water.
It contained children's toys, urine and faeces and did not have space to sit down or rest comfortably. Inspectors went on to find a shipping container split into two compartments housing a male German shepherd and female mastiff.
Both dogs were lethargic with their bones visible, while the female dog had a swollen eye which was discharging a large amount of green fluid. Mr Alderson said: "The conditions in this enclosure were also horrendous.
"The floor consisted of animal faeces and there was no comfortable rest area. The mastiff was in a concerning state, clearly suffering from a painful eye issue, a lack of adequate nutrition, and living in filth.
"This was one of the worst animal welfare situations I have ever been faced with." The couple - who cannot appeal to have their lifetime animal disqualification lifted for a decade - were sentenced at Coventry Magistrates' Court on September 12.
John Evans was jailed for 16 weeks while Lisa Evans was handed a 12-week sentence, suspended for 12 months. She was also given a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
The couple, who were both charged with multiple counts of causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals between April and July last year, must also pay £500 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.
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