A WOMAN who left two huskies in the back of her car for up to two hours in soaring temperatures has been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals.

Katherine Warbrook, 55, from Askrigg, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, appeared at Northallerton Magistrates' Court yesterday.

The dogs were left in the back of her Volkswagen estate car in Hawes, North Yorkshire, on July 15 last year.

Three windows were left open by an inch but as temperatures climbed into the eighties, passers-by noticed the two dogs were panting heavily.

Two people put cardboard over the back window to protect the animals from the sunlight while others poured water on the car in an attempt to cool it down and help the huskies.

They eventually forced their way into the vehicle through one of the open windows, giving the dogs a drink before calling the police.

When Warbrook returned to the car shortly before 3pm, she was confronted by a crowd of people, leaving police fearing for her safety.

Sergeant Mick Rookes, from Leyburn, appearing for the prosecution, said: "I was fearful that just the two officers, myself and my colleague, would not manage to control the crowd if I did not get Mrs Warbrook away, so much was their distress."

The court heard expert evidence from Richmond vet Paul Roger, who said that in his view, the dogs had not suffered and that their panting was just a way of cooling down.

But the magistrates found Warbrook guilty and ordered her to pay a £200 fine and £150 costs.

The chairwoman of the bench, Pauline Hansom said: "We recognise that it was a careless oversight on your behalf, rather than a malicious act."