AN IRVINE mum who was found drunk while her children sat in faeces and squalor, has avoided jail, after telling the court she is “disgusted” by her behaviour.

The 43-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was supposed to be looking after two children, aged five and three, at an address in Irvine, in May last year, when she was found to be heavily intoxicated, telling police “I’m f*****g steaming. I don’t care.”

At a previous hearing Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard a health visitor had called to the address at around 1pm on May 16, to see the family and from outside could hear children crying and the accused shouting and swearing.

The court heard the two children had tried to open the door but were unable to open it fully because of a security chain at the top.

The health visitor called police and social workers.

Officers arrived shortly afterwards and found the mother inside, wearing only a short t-shirt, heavily intoxicated and slurring her words.

Police found one of the children had dried faeces smeared on his leg and had appeared to have soiled himself.

The house was in total disarray with dog food and knives strewn across the kitchen floor, as well as other food items.

A deep fat fryer had been pulled from the kitchen surface with the container on the floor with cooking oil on the work surface.

Upstairs, in the rear bedroom police found the children had pushed a foot stool to the rear window which they had been climbing up.

Social work was then contacted and the children were taken to the father’s address.

However at a hearing at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court this week the woman’s lawyer Ms Davidson told the court her client had been on a downward spiral since the death of her father in 2009 and then following a tragic still birth of a baby in 2015.

She told the court: “This incident came about as a result of binge drinking, which has been a problem for her for some years, which started from the death of her father in 2009.

“A combination of things she was going through in her life. There was further bereavement of people that she was close to in her partner’s family.

“She also suffered a still birth in 2015 and she never sought the help she required. She does not wish to provide that as an excuse but it provides an explanation to her behaviour.

“She is disgusted in her behaviour.”

The court heard the children, who are subject to a compulsory supervision order, still live with the accused and are co-parented by their father.

Ms Davidson said her client was doing well and was seeking help for her depression and other problems, adding: “The kids are making excellent progress and she is parenting well.”

Sheriff Michael Hanlon said: “This was a serious offence and the narration I heard was concerning, but given that you have shown remorse and taken steps to address that behaviour I won’t be looking at a custodial sentence.”

She was sentenced to 140 hours unpaid work and 12 months supervision.