A woman's application to sell puppies at her home has been turned down, according to the Northern Echo.

Emily Sutcliffe applied to renew her licence to operate a pet shop from the house in Fox Covert Grove, Howden-le-Wear, earlier this year. This coincided with a request to change the use of the property from residential to mixed use, prompting concerns to be raised about third-party puppy sales on Durham County Council’s online planning portal.

The council also confirmed it had received complaints from three people about the business.

Michael Yeadon, the authority’s health protection manager, said Miss Sutcliffe originally received the licence in May 2016, adding: “Following an annual renewal inspection, the applicant was not able to demonstrate that it was being run fully in accordance with the standard operating conditions, particularly in relation to structural issues and record keeping. Failure to suitably remedy these matters resulted in the licence being refused.”