A COUPLE have been jailed after forcing their children to live in a “hell-hole” that left even hardened police officers feeling sick and horrified.

The three children – two girls aged four and one, and a boy aged three – were forced to share a soiled and stinking bed, and were found wearing nappies that had not been changed for some time.

When police and social service officials entered the house in Clifton, York, they discovered festering rubbish piled high, rotting scraps of food and faeces and urine strewn every where.

Yesterday, a 26-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were each sentenced to three years imprisonment.

They were jailed at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to subjecting their children to “horrific” levels of cruelty, neglect and abuse.

The disgusting and squalid conditions were exposed after a member of the public complained to City of York Council about the dilapidated state of the outside of the couple’s property.

Police said there were no signs inside of even the most basic standards of care and hygiene.

Detective Constable Debbie Outwin, of the protecting vulnerable persons unit, in York, likened the house to a rubbish tip.

“The stench of the place was unbelievable,” she said after the couple were jailed.

“Even hardened officers, who have visited countless unsavoury properties in their time, were knocked sick by the conditions.

“The only words to describe the house were – it was a hell-hole.”

She added: “It is very satisfying that the couple have been brought to justice for the horrific conditions forced upon their children.

“The way they subjected them to cruelty, neglect and abuse is truly shocking in this age.”

Crown Prosecution Service senior prosecutor Jane Cook said: “This is one of the most distressing cases of child neglect I have ever dealt with.

“It is patently obvious that the degrading conditions in which the children were existing were truly appalling, causing them unnecessary suffering and exposure to illness and injury, including developmental problems.”

Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Pope praised the “outstanding” work of Det Con Outwin and commended the vigilance of the member of the public who triggered the inquiry “This case highlights that the actions of one person, and one person alone, can make such a vital difference,” she said.