Inside the fly-infested house where boy, 5, was so badly neglected he didn't know what a bath was for and told his foster carer: 'Santa doesn't come to my house any more'

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These horrific images show the squalid conditions inside a fly-infested, dirt-ridden home where a five year-old boy was neglected so badly that he did not know what a bath was for.

The youngster had endured such a miserable upbringing that he told his foster carer that 'Santa' had stopped coming to visit his house, even though he had 'been good'.

Today, as his mother and her partner were spared jail for child cruelty, images from inside the family's council house in York reveal the 'unimaginable filth' in which the child was forced to live.

Squalor: These horrific images show the squalid conditions inside a fly-infested, dirt-ridden home where a five year-old boy was neglected so badly that he did not know what a bath was for

'Unimaginable filth': Police found piled-up dirty crockery and rotten food strewn across the house in York

'Unkempt': The council house's lounge contained a double bed that was covered in dog hair, dirt and clothes

Rubbish and rotting food can be seen littered around the filthy home, while every work surface in the kitchen is covered in dirty crockery or moldy food.

Amid a stench of rotten food wafting through the property, there was also an abundance of insects and flies which swamped the tiny, cramped rooms.

Shockingly, dog faeces, dog hair and clothing were also found strewn across the house, including on the carpet, the doors and even on a double bed, which had been set up in the living room.

Among the chaos was a filthy mug, with the words 'top daddy' ironically emblazoned across the front.

Authorities had been alerted to the boy's plight after he escaped from the house and his frantic mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, rang the police.

He was later found a mile from his council house in York and told police he had 'woken up and looked around the house and nobody was home'.

York Crown Court had heard how police then visited the house and found it in unimaginable filth with every surfaced piled high with dirty dishes.

Filthy: Officers discovered the mess after the boy escaped from the house and his mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, rang the police. He was found wandering alone, a mile from the home

Chaos: The living room was packed full of boxes, plastic bags and a haphazard toy book, full of broken toys

'Top daddy': Ironically, police found a filthy mug languishing in the living room, with the words 'top daddy' emblazoned on the side 

It emerged that foster carers had found several of his baby teeth had their roots exposed with abscesses while six had to be removed. There was no toothbrush suitable for his use in his house. 

Prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi said: 'Every work surface in the kitchen was covered in dirty crockery and rotting food. There was only rotting food in the fridge.

'The floor was covered in dog hair and clothing. The back yard was covered in dog excrement. The lounge contained a double bed that was covered in dog hair and dirt.

'The property was very dirty and unkempt. There was an odour of stale and rotting food and a lot of insects and flies flying about everywhere.'

She said it later emerged the little boy didn not know what a bath was for or how to be washed.

The boy's 43-year-old mother (left) and her partner, 42, (right), whose faces have been obscured by MailOnline for legal reasons, were spared jail despite admitting two charges of child cruelty

'Very serious neglect': There was also said to be a stench of stale, rotten food, wafting through the home 

Concerns: Sentencing, the judge said he had 'grave concerns' about the couple's failure to accept help

Ms Wadoodi added: 'The foster carer reported that when she first gave him a bath he seemed very frightened and she also observed that he had wax coming out of his ears.

'He showed considerable discomfort while eating. He told his foster carer that Santa doesn't come to his house.'

The court heard how the boy's school contacted the mother in 2013 expressing concerns about his hygiene and tiredness.

Although this temporarily improved, the court heard how his hygiene then spiralled again towards the end of the academic year.

The prosecutor added that, months down the line, his foster mother now describes the child as 'a lovely little boy, very chatty, open and likes to please people'.

Grime: This close-up picture of the kitchen shows rust, dirt and grease lining the appliances

Victoria Smith-Swain, for the 43 year-old mother, said she had a long history of depression which she described as 'forty years of baggage surrounding her childhood'.

The woman and her 42-year-old partner admitted two charges of child cruelty but were spared jailed.

Sentencing them at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Rodney Jameson QC described the case as 'very unhappy' and involved 'very serious' child neglect.

He said: 'It is almost inconceivable you let yourself and your child live in this squalor without some psychiatric difficulty.

'You knew the problems that you had and were offered help but didn't take it.

'I have grave concerns about your failure to accept help. I find this a very worrying aspect of the case.'

The mother was handed a 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years, while her partner was jailed for six months, also suspended for two years.

The couple were also ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.