Pair kept 69 pets at home

A couple with five children kept 69 animals, including 56 large dogs, in their semi-detached house, magistrates were told.

James and Nicola Hood's home in Minehead, Somerset, was "swamped by a sea of dogs" in the living room and "too many to count" in the garden, the RSPCA told Taunton court. The Hoods were keeping the animals to save them from being put down. The couple, who admitted animal cruelty, will be sentenced next month.