A British couple who left their three young children unattended in a Benalmadena hotel have been handed suspended prison sentences after admitting child abandonment offences.

The pair, a 41-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, were sentenced to one year and four months in prison by a court in Torremolinos after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.

The case shocked the Costa del Sol this week after three children aged just six months, one year and four years old were found in what authorities described as a high-risk situation inside the hotel.

Under the terms of the ruling, both parents have also been stripped of parental authority for two years and eight months and are banned from coming within 500 metres of the children for the next two years.

Despite the convictions, neither parent will immediately go to prison.

The court agreed to suspend the jail terms on the condition that neither commits another offence during the next two years.

The children came to the attention of authorities on Wednesday night after reports that they had been left unattended in communal areas of the hotel.

The three youngsters were subsequently taken to hospital for medical examinations.

Two of the children then tested positive for cocaine, raising further concerns about their welfare.

Authorities described the family’s hotel room as being in a particularly poor condition, with significant disorder and unsuitable living conditions.

Investigators also concluded that the eldest child, aged just four, appeared to be caring for the two younger siblings.

The children were taken into the care of the Andalucian government and initially placed with a foster family.

According to sources from the High Court of Justice of Andalucía, regional authorities will now contact the British Consulate to begin arrangements for the children to be transferred to the UK.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.