The owners of a Helston bed and breakfast has branded a family "absolute animals" after they claim the visitors "absolutely wrecked" the rooms - and then left without paying.

Jackie Burchell says that two of her rooms were "absolutely wrecked" after a mother with her three children and father stayed at Elysian Fields in Ashton last week.

Jackie and her husband Tony had agreed that the family could stay at their B&B after having received a tearful call from a woman on Friday, July 17. The woman said she needed somewhere to stay as her reservation with the Premier Inn had been cancelled last minute.

Jackie said: "I fell for it as I felt quite sad."

When she asked for the payment to be made up front, the woman said that she couldn't get to the bank in time but would pay cash on arrival - which Jackie says never materialised.

The family arrived for their stay on Monday, July 20 - and this is where the problems began for Jackie and Tony.

She said: "They were so horrid - loud and obnoxious. The kids were running around upsetting people and putting the Vs up. They were screaming all night - and they even went into our bedroom which is on the other side of the house. The parents had no control.

"The rooms were absolutely wrecked.

"The father was coughing so we asked him to isolate himself away from the other guests and he threw all his tissues on the floor and they were stuck to the table, too.

"During his stay, he messed himself and left the dirty clothes in a bag on the floor."

Jackie explained that she didn't ask them to leave because she was concerned that the family would not be able to find somewhere else to stay at such short notice.

The family was due to leave last Friday. At breakfast on Thursday, the father gave the staff a £20 tip.

Jackie said: "We thought how lovely! But they never came back."

She says that was the last her and her husband saw of them.

"They'd left some of their things, including a travel cot, in the room to make us think that they were coming back.

"They'd run up a tab, drunk every bottle in the mini-bars, stolen the towels and one of the rooms was left so badly we thought we'd have to get rid of the carpet as it was covered in drinks and milk.

"I just felt so stupid. I got suckered in and there'll be others that get suckered in, too.

"It's sad as when someone genuine comes along, I'll find it hard to trust them."

The couple are giving a statement to the police today.