A couple who neglected their two Dalmatians have been fined and ordered to pay thousands of pounds in court costs.

John Climo and his wife Joan from Abbey Wood, appeared at Greenwich Magistrates' Court last Wednesday. They admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to Dalmatian bitches Twiggy and Poppy.

An RSPCA inspector visited their home after a call from a concerned member of the public,the court was told. She found Poppy in an emaciated condition and Twiggy with an untreated mammary growth causing her discomfort.

The Climos were fined £200 each, ordered to pay £3,899 court costs and banned from keeping dogs for five years.