Girl rushed to hospital after dog attack in Kirkby
The three-year-old was bitten in the face
Last updated 4th Sep 2023
A little girl's been rushed to hospital after a dog attack in Kirkby.
The three-year-old was bitten in the face yesterday (Saturday 2 September), just after 3.15pm.
Emergency services were called to Newtown Gardens, outside the Market Tavern pub, and the girl was taken to hospital for treatment of her injuries, which are described as 'serious but not life-threatening'.
Merseyside Police say the dog has been seized and will be put down, they're also working to determine the breed.
They're urging anyone who witnessed the attack 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 since been released on bail.
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 at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.