Four 'zombie-like' toddlers were rescued from a 'feral and dangerous' drugs den, a court heard.

The children, all aged under five, were put in a 'faeces-covered' room by their parents and left to 'starve', police told Preston Crown Court.

Officers raided the property in Leyland, Lancashire, and found the youngsters were all running temperatures and had a range of rashes and skin ailments.

Their parents - who cannot be named to protect the identities of the children - each admitted four counts of neglect at the court.

Four 'zombie'-like toddlers were found in filthy rooms 'covered in faeces', pictured, when police raided a property in Leyland, Lancashire

Presiding, Judge Mark Brown criticised the local council for to the case for giving the parents 'chance upon chance' and not intervening.

Judge Brown heard when police discovered the children they were 'so thirsty and hungry' that officers had to go out and buy food for them, after finding nothing in the kitchen 'except cannabis in a slow cooker'.

They found a baby in a bouncer two feet away from a halogen heater, naked except for an overflowing nappy, a screaming little girl trapped under a bed frame in a room full of faeces and flies and two toddlers in a bedroom with excrement sprayed on walls and exposed carpet rods.

Meanwhile one officer was 'so overpowered by the smell' of the room the children were found in that he was 'repeatedly sick'.

The father, 23, was jailed for 14 months over the offences while the mother, 29, 'shook violently and cried' in the dock as she was handed a 14-month suspended sentence when the judge accepted a mental health condition meant she 'would not cope' in prison.

The judge told the couple: 'This was a deplorable and appalling state of affairs. I'm satisfied that all of this shows you have complete indifference to their welfare.'

Prosecuting, Francis McEntee said: 'This is a case of protracted neglect, the youngsters having been described as kept in conditions of fetid squalor quite literally.

'Those matters came to light quite by chance quite by chance on October 25, 2015, at 11.45am.

'Officers had attended the address in relation to an unconnected matter, looking for a third party.

'Whilst they were dealing with the defendant, who had appeared at the door in just his underwear, the mum came forward protesting at the officers coming to her property suggesting they were bullying her.'

He added: 'Permission was given for a search. Whilst they were on landing they noticed three bedrooms two of which had the door shut. A child could be heard.

'The door was tightly shut. The officer opened it and he was hit by a vile and horrid stench.

'Officers found there was faecal matter smeared and sprayed across the walls and indeed it had become apparent that the lower half appeared to have been repainted.

'The officers noted 15 heavily soiled nappies full of urine and faecal matter which was open to the air.

'The floor itself was covered in faeces and scraps or stale food and there appeared to be intermingling of the two.

The starving children were found with rashes and skin ailments in the rooms, pictured, with their parents later admitting neglect

'There were plastic children's drinking cups with fluid that appeared to be settled, with faecal material on those cups.

'Within that room were two children, dressed in just T-shirts.

'One of them had dried blood across the bridge of this nose and upper lip. Their appearance was described as dishevelled and dirty with food in his hair and stains around the body.

'There appeared to be an abrasion to the forehead which appeared to have been neglected, dirty and sore.

'They were very quiet. Neither child appeared to have been cleaned. The room had an upturned bed with a soiled mattress with no bedding or blankets.'

The court heard police then checked the other bedroom.

Mr McEntee added: 'The officer describes a response of retching at the smell - one officer was sick into his mouth a number of times.

'It was a similar state. Toys were strewn out over the floor. The state of the room was further enhanced by the number of flies buzzing around.

'The officer heard a child screaming and asked if there was a child in the room. The defendant denied this but the screaming continued.

'It could not be seen at that stage but having searched the room, officers located the toddler trapped against a mattress which was situated under a mattress, pinned down by the bedframe. Together they lifted the frame and pulled her out.'

The house had no hot running water, a dirty bathroom with a bath full of paint. The children were seen pulling at empty packets of food and when police went to get them a drink they found their bottles were mouldy.

The court heard the youngsters did not show emotion and were 'for all intents and purposes dumb - described as like zombies.'

In his interview the father claimed one had had chickenpox that 'must have spread.'

He claimed the children were bathed in the kitchen sink and he had been 'trying his best' since his partner had mental health difficulties.

Police also found 15 'soiled nappies full of urine and faecal matter', pictured, in one of the rooms

The mother suggested the tots were in habit of taking their nappies off and smearing it on the walls.

Philip Boyd, defending the father, said: 'He was a very young man. If he had been more mature and adequate at dealing with difficulties he would have been able to take assistance which was available to him.

'He tried to sort things out himself but they got worse and worse.

'This was not somebody who was being deliberately cruel - he was an inadequate young man feeling he could do it all himself.'

Defending the mother, Mark Stewart said she was embarrassed and in a 'poor position mentally'.

Speaking after the heating, Detective Constable Lee Bradshaw-Wood, of Lancashire police's Public Protection Unit, said: 'These people displayed an abject failure to provide basic care for such young, vulnerable children.

'The investigation established the feral and dangerous conditions that these poor children were living in.

'The living accommodation was disgusting and unsafe and the children were dirty and their clothing was inadequate. No child should have to live in those conditions.

'We are committed to working, along with our partner agencies, to ensure that all children in Lancashire are kept safe from harm.

'If anyone has concerns around the safety of a child or young person they should contact us or Lancashire Social Services. Information can also be passed anonymously via the NSPCC.'

Amanda Hatton, director of children's services, Lancashire County Council, said: 'The family were referred to the local authority for the first time when the police initially visited the property.

'At that point we secured placements for the children outside the family home.

'We put this matter before a Family Court and recommended that the children be looked after away from the family home with extended family as their permanent placement.

'However, the Family Court did not agree with this position and the children were placed back in the care of their parents with the local authority undertaking close monitoring of the case.

'We are now working with extended family members to ensure the ongoing safety and wellbeing of the children.'