Officials in environmental health jobs in Durham are set to visit a petting farm in the area following allegations that animals are being mistreated there.
According to the Captive Animals' Protection Society, animals such as monkeys, llamas and lemurs are being kept in inadequate enclosures and being fed junk food at the Tweddle Animal Farm in Blackhall.
Owners Denise and Peter Wayman have admitted that they do not have the zoo licence required by law but have said they are in talks with the local council, reports BBC News.
But a spokesman for the council said: "To date the proprietor of Tweddle Farm, Blackhall, has not made an application to Durham County Council for a licence under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981."
He added that environmental health professionals, along with licensing enforcement officers and animal health inspectors, will soon visit the farm to determine whether the complaints against it have any basis.
Earlier this month, staff in environmental health jobs with Wealden District Council in Sussex warned people visiting petting zoos to ensure that their hands are washed afterwards to help lower the risk of an E.coli infection.
