A group of children has been rescued after their parents forced them to endure a four year long covid lockdown in a "horror house."
The youngsters were discovered at the property in the northern Spanish town of Oviedo, where a couple are said to have held their children captive for more than three years.
According to investigators, the family was reported to have been living under lockdown conditions since 2021, despite Covid restrictions being lifted in Spain in March 2022.
Upon entering the property, investigators were horrified to discover piles of rubbish and used face masks.
The house where a couple held their children captive for more than three years in Fitora-Toleo, a parish of the northern Spanish town of Oviedo
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The couple who had their three children locked up in their house since 2021
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Upon exiting the property, the children appeared to be amazed that they were finally allowed outdoors, and went to touch the grass on the lawn.
Speaking to local media, detectives suggested the parents suffered from "Covid syndrome" and had continued to live in fear of the virus for several years.
A spokesman for the local force said: "As soon as we got them out, all three children began to breathe deeply, as if they had never been outside before.
"We have all been affected by Covid syndrome and the consequences of the pandemic. We can reflect on what led a family to live in confinement for so long."
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This picture shows the house where a couple held their children captive
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Detectives found a seriously ill cat within the property, which had appeared to have not been taken to the vet as the parents feared they would catch coronavirus.
There was also a large supply of face masks and medicine along with huge amounts of rubbish.
Neighbours said the family were extremely reclusive and never left the house, with food being delivered to the door as if the pandemic was still ongoing.
Local media referred to the villa as a "horror house" adding the family’s mother had both German and US citizenship, but police had few other details about where exactly they came from.
When they exited the house, the children had been forced by their parents to wear three face masks on top of each other before officers searched the property.
Detectives were forced to speak to the children, two eight-year-old twins and a 10-year-old, in English as they had not been attending school so did not know how to speak Spanish.
