Neighbours have spoken of their concerns about two Alsatian dogs they claim are being kept in a council house for up to 30 hours at a time.

They go on to allege that when the animals are allowed out they are terrorising neighbouring dogs and scaring residents.

Concerned neighbours claim the dogs at the house in Truro are howling, barking and whining throughout the night, which is keeping them awake and affecting their working lives as a result.

One neighbour, Quenten Bray, refers to the Cornwall Housing property as a “dog hotel” and says the tenant is barely at the property, leaving the animals cooped up for hours at a time.

The Truronian bus driver says he was concerned for his mother-in-law Jan Salmon’s safety last week when the Alsatians jumped a fence and went for his two Westies, which were in the garden with her.

Jan, who is in her 70s, managed to get the two dogs back indoors as the Alsatians chased them.

Quenten said: “These dogs are locked away in a council property 24/7 and only see the outside world for maybe ten minutes a day at best. We have informed Cornwall Housing as the tenant’s landlord. The police and RSPCA have also been informed. However, nothing seems to be getting done about this matter.

“Myself and the neighbours are having endless sleepless nights due to the dogs barking and howling, sometimes all night long.”

Jan, who shares the house with Quenten, was shaken up after the dogs went for their 14-year-old Westies, which are deaf and blind. She said: “I managed to smack one of their heads in the back door to stop it getting hold of my Billy.

"They are some size dogs and they’re not used to seeing people because they’re shut in, so when they get out they’re feral. One day one of them got out and was running up and down the hill – people were worried they were going to get bitten.”

“I timed it once and they were inside the house for 30 hours. How is that right? We’re worried about their welfare and it’s not fair on the neighbours with all the noise either.”

Another neighbour, Mandy Webb, has also complained to the council as her family are being kept awake by the howling and crying. She says the barking has been a constant problem since last July.

“I’ve never known anything like it before,” she said, looking tired after being woken in the early hours of that morning by the dogs. “It’s so loud it sounds like they’re in the house with you.”

She was asked by council officers to record the noise of the dogs on an app. “I’ve got over 200 recordings now and the council haven’t looked at it,” said Mandy. “We are trying to be reasonable but nobody’s doing anything about it.

“I contacted the Housing Ombudsman about it but was told nothing could be done as we are private occupants, but that’s a council house. It’s upsetting because the council are just not helping.”

We have attempted to speak to the dog’s owner, who we have decided not to name, but they have been unavailable for comment. We have also contacted the RSPCA for a comment.

Martyn Scott, head of housing management for Cornwall Housing, said: “It’s important for residents to know that we care about the welfare for both our tenants and their pets in our homes.

“We can’t comment on specific cases, but our housing officers take any animal welfare concerns, and distress caused to neighbours, very seriously, and we work closely with the council’s environmental protection team and the RSPCA.”

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said it investigates cruelty and neglect, whereas the local authority has statutory powers when it comes to noise and concerns about dangerous dogs.