A woman has been banned from keeping animals for life after admitting mistreating four dogs, a rabbit and a rat.

Alison King, 41, of Toddington Lane, Littlehampton, broke down and held her head in her hands when the sentence was read out at Worthing Magistrates Court yesterday.

She was also ordered to pay £250 costs towards vets and boarding fees.

King sobbed throughout the hearing as she listened to how her pets were found covered in their own excrement, with no food or water and cooped up in cages.

She was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to four dogs from August 31 to September 27 last year, and the same to the rabbit and rat from September 13 to 27 last year.

David Buck, prosecuting, said police and RSPCA officers discovered the four poodle crosses in a 2ft-square cage when they broke into King's former home in Climping Street in Climping, Littlehampton, on September 27 last year.

The cage sat in the midst of excrement and rotting bags of rubbish, which were scattered over the kitchen floor.

RSPCA inspector Melissa Cox said the dogs appeared terrified. They were dehydrated, slightly underweight, with urine scolding on the skin and covered in fleas and dermatitis.

Mr Buck said: "A long-haired rabbit was also found living in a cardboard box drenched in urine. One side of the box was completely eaten away. It was suffering by being kept in such an environment without food or water."

A pet rat was discovered with no food or water in a cage full of excrement in a garden shed the following day.

Edward Elton, defending, said the cage the dogs were found in was not their permanent home.

He said: "My client had a complete relationship breakdown with her landlord and was terrified to let the dogs outside."

He said they were in a cage so they did not rip open refuse sacks on the kitchen floor. The dogs always went into the cage willingly, according to King.

Mr Elton said when the animals were found, it was "an incredibly stressful time" for King.

The court heard she was suffering from depression after recently having given birth to a baby and how her relationship with Mark Cassidy, 24, who she lived with, was strained.

Mr Elton said: "She has accepted her behaviour fell short but in her own words 'something had to give'. She was simply unable to cope. It was never her intention to cause any harm to the animals. She did as well as she could."

Chair of the bench John Brooks said: "This is still an extremely bad case of causing unnecessary suffering to animals. We have no option under the circumstances but to disqualify her from having animals for life."