The duo were sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, forbidden from owning or maintaining animals for the rest of their life, and told to pay a victim fee of £120 each.

According to a council spokeswoman, Philip Soderquest, it was "one of the most appalling and high-profile examples of animal cruelty the county has ever seen."

‘Our animal welfare team works relentlessly to investigate animal neglect and cruelty instances and bring culprits to justice,' he added.

‘We were insistent that Tiggy's former owners would have their day in court, and despite the fact that it took two years, we finally obtained the result we needed today,' says the attorney.