A MUM-OF-FIVE neglected her young children in a fly-infested home and left them to fend for themselves overnight, a court heard.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard how the home was knee-deep in rubbish bags; was fly-infested; had dog faeces smeared indoors; and was full of mouldy food.

The neglect was said to have taken place between May 1, 2016, and August 18, 2020, and involved five children including two toddlers and a newborn baby.

Depute fiscal Josh Dowie gave the court a "troubling" description of the neglect suffered by the children and listed the professionals who had visited the family home and expressed concerns.

Two social workers had attended at the East End property because the three youngest children were on compulsory supervision orders under the children's hearing system and were on the child protection register.

One social worker had carried out six previous visits to the property and on this occasion found it to be excessively untidy with rubbish lying around.

The mother was offered a number of support services due to concerns about her struggling to care for the children but these were not taken up.

Social work believed the woman to have an alcohol dependency and to be leaving the older children to care for the younger ones.

A health care worker also visited the house and reported it to be untidy and not big enough for the family.

She reported a strong smell of urine in the house and clothes lying in the hallway and bedroom.

The worker also saw three young children jumping from a trampoline in the garden through an open window into the living room.

She was concerned enough to contact social work services.

At around 2pm on August 17, 2020, a family friend visited the house and she and the mother went out, leaving the children home alone.

When she didn't return, the next day the older child reported his mother missing and police investigated.

Cops visited the house and found it to be infested with flies and smelling strongly of mouldy food and excrement.

There were only "very sparse" clear areas of flooring due to bin bags of rubbish and clothes piled up.

Police saw remnants of food and bloody tissues lying around the house and staining on the walls going upstairs.

In the bedroom of one of the children the bin bags were piled knee-high and there was a strong odour of food.

There were also vodka bottles littering the back garden.

Her defence lawyer said she now lives with her teenage daughter.

The brief told the court the younger children have been accommodated in local authority care.

He added: "She has paid a heavy price and lost her children as a result of this but she is engaging with social work and has unsupervised contact with them.

"She has had a difficult life and is already subject to a community payback order."

Sheriff Amel Elfallah said: "This is a serious case of neglect in relation to these children.

"It has made troubling listening.

"You were not in a state to look after your children but you have paid a heavy price for that."

The sheriff deferred sentencing for the woman to be assessed for the alcohol court.