THE occupant of a Southampton flat was so drunk police and a social worker thought he was a pile of clothing lying on the hallway floor when they repeatedly knocked on the front door.

But the city crown court heard Jan Kubanski had simply collapsed unconscious through drink.

He suddenly moved and started getting to his feet.

After he let them in, they realised he had been drinking, his eyes were glazed, and he ricocheted off the wall, hardly able to walk.

Prosecutor Jodie Mittell said they followed him into the living room where his partner, Halina Kuczek, lay on a bed snoring loudly, alongside a child. After she woke up, she began shouting and became aggressive.

They had been called to the scene after a woman escorting the child from a special needs school found Kuczek coming out of the tower block looking confused and dishevelled, and smelling of alcohol.

The police officer followed Kubanski into another room where scissors and knives had been left lying about. A number of cats were also in the flat and there was a strong smell of cat urine with cat litter on the floor.

Kubanski, 53, and Kuczek, 38, of Hightown Towers, Southampton, each admitted one count of neglect.

The prosecution stressed this was a single incident of neglect and that a week before, social services had been content with the state of the flat.

Judge Peter Henry heard that both defendants had sought treatment for their drink problem since the incident before giving them a 12 month suspended sentence with 12 months supervision.

Both were of previous good character.