A MOTHER who allowed her toddler to play on its own in a garden near an uncovered pool has been prosecuted.

Police and social services had had to intervene in the family’s life on two occasions before the incident, said Simon Ostler, prosecuting at York Magistrates' Court.

Last summer, a neighbour saw the child on its own in the garden and alerted the authorities.

When police and social workers responded, they found the family’s home was messy with cat faeces throughout the house.

The 39-year-old mother from York, who has other children, pleaded guilty to four charges of neglect. She is not being named to protect the child's identity.

Her solicitor Scott McLaughlin said she did not accept that the child in the garden was unsupervised because she had been watching through a window.

On her return to court, the neighbour who had reported her and others sent references on her behalf. She had no previous convictions.

District judge Adrian Lower said: “You chose to have these children and if you choose to have children, you have to take responsibility for them.

“You have to make sure they are safe and properly supervised until they are old enough to look after themselves.”

He gave her a two-year conditional discharge and ordered her to pay a statutory £20 surcharge and £85 prosecution costs. He decided against ordering her to do rehabilitation work with probation officers because she was getting parenting training from social services.

Mr McLaughlin said the children were subject to a child protection plan drawn up by social services.

The mother was working with social services who were happy for the children to continue to live with her, though they had initially insisted on the children being looked after by a relative.