'Deeply Concerning' Surge In Dog Attacks

The number of people needing hospital treatment for dog attacks has soared by 76% in the past 10 years - with children under nine the most likely to be mauled.

Merseyside was the area with the highest rate of attacks, and Kent and Medway the least, figures from the Heath and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) showed.

There were 7,227 hospital admissions for bites and strikes from dogs between March 2014 and February 2015 in England - up from 4,110 in the corresponding period ten years ago, according to its latest Hospital Episode Statistics release.

Of the total injured, 16% (1,159) were children under nine - most being boys between five and nine.

Most bites were to the face - usually youngsters' lips, nose or cheeks.

In adults, most injuries were to the hands, arms, legs or feet.

There was no data on the breeds of dogs responsible for the increasing attacks, but the majority were male dogs - usually family pets or dogs that belong to friends or neighbours.

At least 21 people, including 13 children, have died in England and Wales in the past 10 years from dog attacks.

In October, six-month-old Molly-Mae Wotherspoon was killed by her family's American pit bull terrier at her mother's home in Daventry, Northamptonshire.

The coroner at her inquest said her family had "paid the ultimate price" for owning an animal banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Eight months before that, 11-month-old Ava-Jayne Corless was killed by a pit bull terrier while she was asleep in bed in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Trevor Cooper, the Dogs Trust's law specialist, said the figures were "deeply concerning".

He said: "It is especially worrying to learn that the number of hospital admissions for dog related injuries is highest among the 0-9 age group.

"Dogs Trust remains frustrated that legislation focusing on issues around dangerous dogs and dog attacks remains ineffective at preventing these incidents happening in the first place."

In May last year, the Dangerous Dogs Act was updated to bring in longer maximum prison sentences for dog owners, including raising the maximum from two to 14 years for a fatal attack and five for one causing injury.

HSCIC's figures also showed the regional breakdown of hospital admissions from dog attacks, with the highest rate in Merseyside (322 admissions, or 27 per 100,000 population).

This represented nearly 5% of all incidents in England and Wales.

The next highest was Durham, Darlington and Tees (294 admissions, or 24.9 per 100,000), followed by Thames Valley (493 admissions, or 23.9 per 100,000).

The lowest was Kent and Medway (128 admissions, or 7.3 per 100,000 population), London (689 admissions, or 8.2 per 100,000), and Surrey and Sussex (227 admissions, or 8.3 per 100,000).

Hospital Episodes Statistics are based on records of all patients admitted to NHS hospitals in England.