A girl in Manchester was rushed to hospital on Sunday after being attacked by a pack of dogs.
Police seized four of the animals and arrested three people on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog.
The attack took place at an address in the suburb of Carrington on Sunday afternoon. The girl remains in hospital in a stable condition.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said on Sunday: “Shortly before 2.40pm today police were called to a report of a child who had suffered injuries caused by dogs at an address on Ackers Lane, Carrington.
“The girl was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.
“Four dogs were seized by officers and have been taken away by specialist partners,” the spokesperson added. “Three people have been arrested on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog.”
The number of dog attacks recorded by police in England and Wales been on the rise over the past five years.
Last year alone, the UK saw nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury, compared to the around 16,000 cases recorded in 2018, BBC reported.
Despite the 37 per cent rise, the dog population in the UK is estimated to have only increased by 15 per cent.
NHS data shows the number of people being mauled by dogs has grown dramatically since 2008 a rate of 15 cases for every 100,000 of the UK population.
Manchester University Hospital Foundation Trust, which operates 10 hospitals in Greater Manchester, saw 225 admissions for dog attacks in 2017/18. By 2019/20 the figure was 290, a rise of 29 per cent.
“Incidents can often be very alarming, but I want to reassure people that we are taking the matter seriously and we are cracking down on those who own or breed dangerous dogs,” said Deputy Chief Constable Robert Carden of the National Police Chiefs Council in response to the BBC report.
He added: “We continue to ask members of the public who know of dangerous dog ownership to contact police on 101 or in an emergency always call 999.”
