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A couple sold their house at a cut price to escape the whining and barking of their neighbours’ dogs.

The neighbours of Steven and Diane Wright moved out of their home in Landsdowne Grove, Wigston, in July after 12 years of torment.

The Wrights appeared at Leicester Magistrates Court on Wednesday and admitted failing to comply with a community protection order requiring them to keep their four pets quiet between June 13 this year and July 25.

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, which made the order and brought the prosecution, said the Wrights neighbours had made more than 100 recording of the dogs’ barking and whining over that period.

This was after the Wrights appeared in court in June for breaching the same order and were given a conditional discharge.

Samuel Ball, representing the council, said the couple had four dogs - a Great Dane, a Staffordshire Terrier cross, a Collie cross and another puppy.

He said the council had offered the Wrights advice on dealing with the dogs on multiple occasions but it had not been taken.

Mr Ball said it had been claimed the Wrights’ neighbour had provoked the dogs into barking but they had not backed this up with any evidence.

He said: “On July 23 they (the neighbours) sold their home at under value and moved out citing the whining and the barking and the detrimental effect it had been having on their lives.”

Mr Ball told the court two of the dogs have since been re-homed at a rescue home which had prompted the council to monitor the situation rather than apply for an order to seize the dogs.

However he said that was an option for the future.

Steven Wright, 63, told the court, he had recorded his neighbour by the fence impersonating a cat to ‘wind up’ his dogs.

He said: “You can clearly hear miaowing noises. Anyone who has heard a real cat will know that is not the noise they make.”

He said his neighbour had also been dropping wooden blocks on his decking to agitate his pets.

Diane Wright, 60, said the dogs had been a lot calmer since her neighbours moved away.

Nobody new has moved into the property yet.

Magistrates told the couple their neighbours were not in court to answer the allegation.

The couple was fined £300 and ordered to pay £400 in costs with two £30 victim surcharges.