TWO men have been banned from owning a pet shop for two years following an RSPCA investigation in which inspectors rescued more than 700 animals.

Hyndburn magistrates banned Kelvin Kirby and Neil Hacking from running the Creature Comforts shop in Rishton after they each pleaded guilty to 14 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

Twenty similar charges were withdrawn.

Kirby, 36, and Hacking, 46, both of Hermitage Street, Rishton, were also ordered to do 240 hours' community service each and were each told to pay £500 costs.

The RSPCA had applied for more than £5,000 costs and chairman of the bench Ivan Smith said it was "unfortunate" that he could only award a smaller amount due to the pair's financial situation.

After the hearing, RSPCA Chief Inspector Brian Jeffries said the society's main concern now was for the future of the remaining animals. He said: "These are two people who had qualifications and did know better.

"I am happy the shop has been closed down. Our immediate concern now is to make sure the animals don't get any less care than they deserve. "They are still allowed to keep the animals as pets but we will be making representations to them and offering our services."

A previous hearing was told that RSPCA inspectors visited Creature Comforts in June last year after police alerted them. After the raid, Mr Jeffries said it was the the largest investigation ever carried out at a pet shop.

They found hundreds of rats, rabbits, hamsters and a chinchilla crammed into dirty cages in an upstairs room without food or water.

Animals were later found in similar squalid conditions in six sheds at an allotment in Holt Street in the town.

A total of 1,500 animals were found in the two raids and more than 700 were taken away by inspectors.

John McNab, defending, told the court that Kirby and Hacking's problems started when rabbits began to die from a mystery illness.

They were "too soft" and spent too much time and money trying to find a cure for the rodents and had less time to care for the other animals.

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