More than 80 have been found living in "appalling squalor" surrounded by dirt and their own mess in a house in an upmarket village. The canines, along with two cats and a chicken, were found living in the "appalling conditions" in the well-heeled of Tickhill in Doncaster.

Shocking pictures show the springer spaniels covered in their own filth - crowded together on a rotting staircase thick with dust and dirt. Ripped and stained wallpaper can also be seen on the walls, along with a dust-covered chandelier. In another sickening photograph, around 17 of the dogs are seen locked in a tiny room, which appears to be caked in mud, splattered up all of the walls and across the filthy floor.

The pets are huddled tightly together, while one is hidden under a small cupboard, where two more are sat on top. They were rescued on Thursday by South Yorkshire Police and the RSPCA.

Dog legislation officers and members of the animal charity entered the home. They said they were "immediately taken aback by the smell, the conditions and the volume of animals living inside".

They were met with "faeces, filth and round every corner and room, more dogs".

Officers took the dogs to safety, counting 78 springer spaniels and four dogs of other breeds.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed that all animals have been taken into kennels. Officers are continuing to investigate the owners responsible.

Chief Inspector Emma Cheney said: "Effective teamwork and strong partnerships between us, the RSPCA and Doncaster City Council allowed us to act on community intelligence that a property was being used to house animals and obtain an emergency warrant from the courts.

"This is not responsible dog ownership; this is cruelty, and I am pleased we have been able to intervene and ensure that these dogs receive the care they deserve and hopefully have a bright future ahead of them."

Anyone who believes they have information contributing to enquiries is asked to contact South Yorkshire Police.

In a separate incident last week, pictures showed the horrific home of a dog walker who kept 11 pets in "deplorable conditions" with faeces crushed into the carpets. The building was so squalid that it left an RSPCA inspector "retching".

Dog walker Hannah Critchlow kept the animals in a house described as being one of the worst ever seen by the hardened officers, where the foul dirt was so thick it had to be pushed aside to make a walkway through the rooms.

Two of the dogs were staying there while their owners were on holiday while others were being fostered by her on behalf of an animal charity. Some were left so ill after staying with her that they required treatment from a vet.

Critchlow, 30, who a ran a business called UpDog Walking, Training & Behaviour, has now been banned from keeping animals for 12 months.

She had previously agreed to give the RSPCA access to see the dogs on August 18 last year, but she failed to show up twice for scheduled appointments on that day.

Further visits were made until her van was spotted outside the property in September.

She then allowed RSPCA Inspector Rowena Proctor and the police inside and seized the dogs on animal welfare grounds.

Critchlow was later prosecuted and she appeared at Peterlee Magistrates Court having plead guilty to one Animal Welfare Act offence.