A couple have been banned from keeping pets for five years after a court heard how they kept 10 Great Danes in the back of a van.

The RSPCA had been alerted after staff at a Manchester hospital noticed ‘an horrendous smell’ coming from the van, belonging to Marilyn O’Donavan and Brendan Lynch. Officers discovered the dogs, including three puppies and an in-season bitch, which were crammed in the vehicle. Seven of the 10 had suffered bite wounds and one had since died.

The pair pleaded not guilty after claiming they had nowhere else to keep the dogs whilst they searched for accommodation after being forced to leave their London home, but were convicted on 11 counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals at the end of the three day hearing in Bury Magistrates’ Court.

The nine remaining dogs are now all healthy and in kennels. An appeal will be made.