Police have shot dead an XL bully dog in the grounds of a primary school after it attacked a woman in her back garden and escaped.

Officers arrived to find the woman, aged in her 60s, being mauled by her pet at a property in Brisley, Norfolk, on Monday afternoon.

A member of the public had alerted police after seeing the woman being attacked and “screaming for help”.

The dog ran off but it was found a short time later after someone had managed to secure it to a post in a school car park.

Children and teachers were still on site at the time.

Police tried to contact several vets to help sedate the dog but none were available.

Norfolk Police said that “due to the threat to the wider public, and with permission of the owners, the dog was destroyed”.

Inspector Diana Woodage added: “This was a terribly sad and distressing situation.

“Officers were faced with an incredibly difficult situation when they arrived at the scene – a woman being viciously attacked by her dog and was very clearly injured and in some pain.

“In the interests of public safety and at the request of the owner, the dog was humanely destroyed.”

The woman attacked was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and is now recovering.

A series of XL bully attacks have been reported in recent months, some of which have been fatal.

Last week, two women were taken to hospital in Stoke after being mauled in another suspected XL bully attack.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the breed will be banned by the end of the year.

Campaigners want existing laws changed so they focus “not on the breed but the deed”.

Read more:
Why banning the dogs could be problematic
XL bully owner defends breed but calls for tougher laws

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There are currently four banned breeds in the UK: the pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino and fila Brasileiro.

It is also against the law to have a dog that is dangerously out of control, an offence punishable by prison sentences and unlimited fines.

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