A DUDLEY mother broke down in the dock as she was jailed for keeping her two children in filthy conditions.

The 25-year-old's home had no electricity supply, little or no food and broken glass was strewn across a bedroom floor.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court that police officers went to the property and discovered hygiene was very poor.

He said there was mouldy food on plates, dirty sheets on the bed and the children were unkempt and wearing dirty clothes.

The dirty conditions were aggravated by the fact the mother had a previous condition involving the ill-treatment of a child.

Judge John Warner said at the time of the new offending the mother had clearly put a reconciliation with her abusive partner before the welfare of her two children.

“I do not feel I am able to suspend any sentence,” he ruled at Wolverhampton Crown Court as he jailed the sobbing woman for eight months.

The mother, who cannot be named because it would lead to the identity of the children, admitted two charges of neglect.

Jon Roe, defending, said she was ill-equipped for motherhood at a time when her life had been “rapidly spiralling downhill".

He told the court she had been faced with a string of difficulties adding, “She cannot deal with life on a day to day basis.”

Mr Roe said she had not been functioning well but stressed she was now making an improvement in her life, adding “She wants to play a positive role in the lives of her children.”