Armed police called after dog attacks girl, 11, in South East London

An girl was taken to hospital after she was attacked by a dog in South East London.

Armed police were called to an address in Byron Drive in Erith at 1.40pm on Saturday, April 1, to reports of a child being injured following a dog attack. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and the 11-year-old was taken to a major trauma centre at a South London hospital.

Her injuries were assessed as non life-threatening or life-changing and there have been no reports of any other injuries. A woman was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police and having a dog that was dangerously out of control.

The dog has since been contained and removed from the house, while enquiries are ongoing.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at approximately 13:40hrs on Saturday, 1 April to reports of a child injured after being attacked by a dog at an address in Byron Drive, Erith. "Officers, including armed officers, and London Ambulance Service attended. The child – an 11-year-old girl – was taken to hospital. Her injuries have been assessed as not life-threatening or life-changing. "No reports of any other injuries. The dog was contained and removed from the address. A woman – no further details - was arrested for obstructing police and having a dog dangerously out of control. Enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing." A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called at 2.03pm (1 April) to reports of an incident on Bryon Drive, Erith. We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and an ambulance crew. London's Air Ambulance was also dispatched to the scene. We treated a patient and took them as a priority to a major trauma centre in South London escorted by a medic from the air ambulance."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know