A five-year-old girl has suffered serious face injuries after being mauled by a dog outside a Nisa store in Norton.
The incident occurred on Saturday at around 6.30pm outside the shop in Teesside which saw a number of police and ambulance crews attending.
The girl was immediately taken to hospital with injuries to her face. Her current status is unknown.
The dog has been seized after the incident, confirmed the police.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “The girl has suffered significant injuries to her face and is receiving treatment in hospital.
“The owner of the dog remained at the scene following the attack and co-operated with police. The dog has been seized.
“We would politely ask people not to post photos relating to the incident and to avoid speculating on social media whilst officers continue with their investigation.”
A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service added: “We were called at 6.25pm yesterday (August 12) to reports of an incident involving a dog bite in the Norton area of Stockton.
“We dispatched a paramedic crew who treated one patient with facial injuries before transporting to hospital.”
One resident, who asked not to be named, told Teesside Live: “It was awful the poor girl.
“There were two police cars and an ambulance here last night. She was taken to hospital.”
A BBC investigation earlier this year has suggested that the number of dog attacks recorded by police in England and Wales has increased by more than a third in the past five years.
The data shows there were nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury last year, compared with just over 16,000 in 2018.
Fatalities from dog attacks have also increased sharply in recent years.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has said the rise in recorded dog attacks is due to increased police focus on this crime.
The deputy chief constable, Robert Carden, who leads the dangerous dogs working group, told the Guardian: “There is anecdotal evidence from rehoming centres that they are seeing a rise in dogs with behavioural problems being handed in.
“It is difficult to know the reasons for this, but it could be attributed to dogs bought during lockdown who missed out on key socialisation and have then become too difficult to handle in maturity.”
