A dog breeder was able to keep hundreds of animals in horrendous conditions because she refused to take up a council licence.

Animal rescue workers have criticised Mid Sussex District Council for failing to check the late Elizabeth Stevens had stopped breeding Yorkshire Terriers when her licence expired eight years ago.

Following her death on April 16, more than 200 dogs were discovered living in filthy cages stuffed full of old newspapers in a shed behind her house in Hurstpierpoint.

Several dogs had died and some had been partially eaten by others.

The council today admitted that once Ms Stevens told inspectors she no longer wanted to breed dogs it stopped checking her.

She had been licensed under her married name Elizabeth von der Heyde to run a commercial dog breeding business until 1998.

Council spokeswoman Diana Jones said when she failed to renew her licence, council inspectors visited the shed.

She said: "Officers made a brief inspection and found the kennels were satisfactory. There was a slight smell of urine and the lighting was dim but the dogs were all loose in the building, not in cages, and kennel staff were in evidence, grooming the dogs and caring for them."

The year before, inspectors made a more thorough inspection and found the dogs were well fed and watered, dog bedding was hanging on a washing line and staff were at work.

Because Ms Stevens told them she was closing the kennel in 1998 they never went back.

Mrs Jones said: "We can't have a team of council officers checking whether people do what they say they are going to do, it would be a terrible invasion of privacy.

"In the absence of any report that she was breeding dogs without a licence we had no reason to investigate her. It's an impossible situation and obviously we are as appalled as everyone else at what was found."

The Kennel Club said Ms Stevens had registered five or six litters every year between 1980 and 1999. Then she registered one or two a year, below the limit for non-commercial breeders.

The Celia Hammond Animal Trust has taken in 86 of the dogs and most are now recovering.