A woman who kept 140 snakes in plastic bins and sweet tubs in her home and had a further 20 in a freezer has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and welfare charges.

Pauline Wallace, 64, from Osbaldwick Lane in York, admitted she did not provide an appropriate environment for the snakes and did not protect them from pain, injury or suffering.

RSPCA inspectors discovered the animals when they went to check the house after a tip-off. They found reptiles in plastic containers and vivariums stacked floor to ceiling in her semi-detached home.

At York Magistrates Court she pleaded guilty to seven offences of failing to ensure the welfare of snakes and reptiles. She had previously admitted two charges of animal cruelty involving her pet border collie Alf, by failing to provide him with veterinary care when he fell ill.

The court also heard that inspectors found 20 snakes and a dead cat in a freezer at the house which Ms Wallace shares with her elderly mother.

The woman’s barrister David Ward said she was a pensioner waiting to see a medical specialist because of health problems, and had “some issues within the family”, according to the York Press.

Mr Ward asked for more time to prepare a medical report and other mitigation in her favour. Ms Wallace was released on unconditional bail to appear again in court on 16 January.