Dangerous dogs placing 'unprecedented demand' on South Yorkshire Police

Police in South Yorkshire say they are facing "unprecedented demand" to deal with dangerous dogs after dozens of incidents in recent days.

The force's control room received 32 reports over the weekend 5-8 July, including two incidents on Sunday where dogs caused serious injuries.

In the first incident, in Goldthorpe at 7.22pm, a woman lost consciousness after being attacked by her bulldog.

She suffered serious injuries to her hands and arms, which needed reconstructive surgery.

Around 20 minutes later police were called to Balby in Doncaster after a German Shepherd escaped its property and attacked a dog and its owner in the street. The victim suffered bite wounds to her shoulder.

Ch Insp Emma Cheney, who is in charge of work to tackle dangerous dogs in South Yorkshire, said the force had already seized more than 500 dogs this year.

She said: "Last week we sadly saw a two-year-old girl mauled by a loose dog. This is not acceptable and irresponsible ownership will be dealt with by the courts.

"Every time we attend an incident, it comes at a cost, including the resources responding and kennelling, as well as the additional pressure on the ambulance service and hospitals caring for those injured."

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