A man from Loftus in Cleveland today pleaded guilty to nine offences of animal cruelty relating to a large number of animals and birds.

Clifford Spedding, 46, runs the Hope Animal Shelter in Loftus, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

Today he pleaded guilty before Teesside magistrates to nine offences relating to two birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; 41 animals and birds through failing to provide them with adequate veterinary attention; and 52 animals and birds by allowing them to live in conditions that caused them to suffer.

The animals involved included tortoises, ducks, herring gulls, doves, parakeets, pigeons, quails and a jackdaw.