Dozens of dogs rescued from appalling conditions in South Yorkshire are getting the second chance they deserve after a man was found guilty of neglecting them.

David Parkes, 61, a children’s social worker, was convicted of three animal welfare offences at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court after a two-day trial ending September 29. He had denied responsibility for the 84 dogs and two cats.

The animals, mainly springer spaniel-type dogs, were removed from a house in Tickhill, near Doncaster, on April 18 last year. RSPCA Inspector Kristy Ludlam described rooms ‘covered in dirt and faeces, from floor to ceiling’, with a smell so overpowering it made officers’ eyes sting.

Parkes’s wife Delphine, 60, and son Sam, 28, had pleaded guilty to the same offences at an earlier hearing. All three will be sentenced on December 9 at Doncaster Magistrates’ Court.

The RSPCA said the dogs had bred out of control because none were neutered. All but one have now been rehomed; one spaniel was put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

The charity called it one of the largest rescues it has handled, and urged the public to adopt, not shop.