ANIMAL welfare workers have criticised a sheriff's decision to allow a pensioner who kept a menagerie of dogs, donkeys, goats and sheep in terrible conditions to keep some of her pets.

Ann Wynd, 75, was found guilty of 29 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals at her home in Standburn, Stirlingshire.

Some of the animals were in such a poor state that they had to be put down and a total of 65 were taken away by Scottish SPCA inspectors when they searched the premises in November 2012.

At Falkirk Sheriff Court, Sheriff Derek O'Carroll imposed a three-year com-munity payback order and banned her from keeping animals for three years -except for four dogs and four sheep. Another four sheep have also now been allowed back after she made improvements to the area where they were kept.

The sheriff said he would review the banning order again in December.

However, SPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn criticised the decision, saying it was "without doubt one of the most tragic cases we have ever dealt with".

He said: "Given the extent of the pain and distress these animals endured we are extremely disappointed 12 animals have been given back to Wynd and that more may be returned to her.

"The scale of suffering involved was horrendous and in our view would have merited Wynd being banned from owning animals for life. While we appreciate the courts must take individual circumstances into account, our concern will always be the welfare of animals."