Three children, covered in rotting food, urine and feces, have been rescued from their mother's home, police said.

The smell from the Florida home of Madeline Harrigan was "overwhelming" and the children were covered in grime, police added.

Inside the property, stagnant water lay in the kitchen sink and the fridge only held a container of juice and rotting melon.

Officers noted that the floor of the home was caked with urine, feces and vomit.

  

Three boys, a 12-year-old and two 10-year-old twins, were removed from the home