Three-year-old girl left with significant facial injuries after dog attack in Merseyside

The attack happened outside the Market Tavern Pub in Kirkby Town Centre. Credit: Liverpool Echo

A three-year-old girl has been attacked by a dog in Merseyside and left with serious injuries.Police were called to Newton Gardens outside the Market Tavern pub in Kirkby town centre on 2 September 2023 to reports a young girl had been injured following a dog attack.Merseyside Police have confirmed the three-year-old girl has suffered "significant injuries" to her face which are described as serious but not life threatening.

Officers attended and seized the dog, which will be examined to determine the breed and then humanely destroyed.

A spokesperson for the Market Tavern said its staff are “devastated” about the incident and said they are helping police with their enquiries.

The spokesperson added: "We have CCTV which covers the area and we are working with the police, we ask all dog owners to act responsibly in public areas, especially around children.

"Our thoughts are with the little girl at this time, we hope she is ok, all our staff are really devastated as to what happened outside."

Merseyside Police said a number of witnesses have been spoken to and enquiries are ongoing.The force is now appealing for further witnesses to come forward and for anyone with footage that may assist enquiries to contact police.A 31-year-old man from Ormskirk has been arrested on suspicion of affray and having a dog dangerously out of control in a public place. He has been taken into custody to be questioned.

Chief Inspector Jim Wilde said: "This was a horrific attack which has left a young girl receiving hospital treatment for significant injuries to her face.“I want to reassure people that she is currently receiving the best possible care and treatment for her injuries at Alder Hey, and we hope she makes a speedy recovery."We seized the dog at the scene, which will now be humanely destroyed, and extensive efforts are now underway to establish exactly what happened.“I want to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have information which could help us with our investigation to come forward as soon as possible. You may even live locally and have CCTV, or have been passing in a vehicle and captured dashcam footage – if so, we want to hear from you."This case highlights in the starkest terms the potential dangers of dogs, and I would appeal to anyone with information about dangerous dogs in their area to contact us so that we can take pro-active action."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre.

You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 23000831583 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form.

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