A PAIR who bred and sold dogs and cats from their home in West Drayton have been told to pay nearly £50,000 after admitting they were not licensed.

Galyna Khudyakova, 57, and Volodymyr Tymoshenko, 47, of Colne Avenue, each pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates Court to two offences.

Hillingdon Council, which brought the case, and police carried out a search warrant in December 2018.

As well as finding dozens of animals on site, a ground-floor room was filled with cages from floor to ceiling and another room was being used for animal birthing.

In the garden, a large fenced-off area contained a complex of buildings, including storage sheds and a large wooden building, where cats were kept in wooden cages. Animals were also being kept in outdoor enclosures and wooden pens.

The defendants were each ordered to pay £24,150 (£4,500 for each offence, £15,000 prosecution costs and a £150 victim surcharge).

Cllr John Riley, Hillingdon Council’s cabinet member for public safety, said: “It was clear from the outset this was a large-scale, long-term commercial breeding and sales business.”