Animal ban for Medomsley Bangers man over suffering of pigs

Inspectors found pigs living in slurry with no drinking water and poultry packed into a shed on land farmed by David Cottrell, Newton Aycliffe magistrates were told.

Cottrell, 52, who at the time owned Medomsley Bangers, a pork and black pudding supplier, was convicted at an earlier hearing of 31 animal welfare charges relating to animals on his site at Manor Road, Medomsley, County Durham, from March to October last year.

Inspectors found pigs living in slurry with no drinking water

They included charges of being a person responsible for farmed animals and failing to take steps to ensure they had the right conditions, and failing to comply with duty regulations 4, 5 and 7 of the Animal Welfare Act.

Yesterday he was also ordered to pay more than £20,000 to Durham County Council for the upkeep of animals staff had seized and which he had refused to give his consent for sale until June.

An artist's sketch of David Cottrell when he appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court

Catherine Hazell, prosecuting for the council, said animal health inspectors and a police officer had first visited the site at Manor Road on March 23 last year.

They found a pen of 11 pigs living in deep slurry with no dry lying area and no water, alongside two pig carcasses.

The shocking conditions pigs were kept in on land farmed by David Cottrell

Another pen containing one pig had no water. Piglets were crammed into a small pen with hardly any space and filthy drinking water. About 40 hens were also tightly crammed into a hen house.

Ms Hazell said: “Officers searched the fields and found horses with access to a large pile of debris and wood with nails and sharp pieces which could likely cause them injury, as well as sheep carcasses.

“On the adjoining land a further 23 pigs were in a pen deep with slurry with no dry lying area and the water was filthy.”

Cottrell was issued a notice to dispose of the animal by-products, but when officers returned weeks later there was still no dry lying area for 23 pigs, while sharp objects were still in the field with the horses.

The filthy water the pigs, who had access to water, were left to drink

During a further visit in October five underweight pigs were found with no feed available. Six adolescent pigs were crammed in a small pen and standing knee deep in slurry with filthy water.

The council seized 44 pigs as well as piglets in November. Some of the pigs have since had piglets. There were eventually about 150 pigs in total.

Cottrell only provided his consent to the council selling the pigs in June.

The upkeep of the pigs amounted to £27,765 offset by the sale of some.

A probation report noted that Cottrell had decided to set up his own business sheep and pig farming more than three years after suffering serious injuries in horse accident.

Cottrell told a probation officer that at the time of the incidents he was caring for his terminally ill mother and elderly father and it had got "too much for him".

He added, a contractor providing him feed had also let him down.

Cottrell, who is selling the land, is now working as a private contractor providing security and as a takeaway driver.

Cottrell, of Sandringham Avenue, Whickham, Gateshead, was disqualified from owning or keeping pigs, sheep, poultry and horses and given a 12-month community order with 300 hours of unpaid work with 15 probation activity days. He was ordered to pay £24,919, including costs of looking after the pigs and legal costs.