Animals kept in 'vile conditions'

Some of the ferrets which were crammed into cages

Dozens of animals have been found at a house in County Antrim in what an animal charity has described as "vile conditions".

The charity, the Ulster Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is working to remove the animals from the property on the outskirts of Larne.

A spokesman said they were being kept in some of the worst conditions he had ever seen.

He said the animals included rats, mice, gerbils, dogs and ferrets.

The USPCA said it was too soon to say how many animals were kept inside the property, but it was believed they could have been there for months.

They said their priority now was to remove them to the USPCA shelter for examination.

The USPCA's David Wilson said the operation, which began at the four-bedroomed cottage on Saturday, was likely to continue for the rest of Sunday.

"The conditions in it are vile. The animals in the cottage, many of them are simply on the loose, they are running around," he said.

"In the garden, there are probably 40 or 50 cages in the open air, totally inadequate housing.

"Some of them are containing 10 or 12 ferrets in a cage. We don't really know the totals, but it's a considerable operation."