A woman has been mauled to death by her own XL Bully dogs on a street in East London.
Armed officers raced to a home in Hornchurch at about 1:12pm and removed two XL Bullies following reports of a "critical incident". A police officer at the scene told the Mirror that firearms officers and London’s Air Ambulance were called following the attack but sadly were unable to save the woman, believed to be in her 50s.
A number of police officers could be seen entering Cornwall Close, a cul-de-sac, late on Monday evening. Residents on nearby Essex Gardens were seen bringing cups of tea and coffee to officers who had been on the cordon for seven hours. One, who did not wish to be named, told the Mirror: “The dogs weren’t killed, they’ve taken them away.
"There’s been vans back and forth non-stop since lunchtime and we saw the helicopter come over and you assume the worst. Campion [a nearby school and sixth form college] isn’t far from here so you panic it’s kids or something. You never think a dog’s going to do that. It’s awful.”
Did you see what happened? Contact us at webnews@mirror.co.uk
As of 9pm on Monday night the entire length of Berkshire Way, the only road leading to Cornwall Close on Hornchurch’s County Park Estate, had been closed to the public as “a crime scene” another police officer told the Mirror.
A Met Police spokesperson told The Mirror: "The woman was treated by medics from London Ambulance Service, but sadly she was pronounced dead at the scene. Due to the threat posed, armed officers attended. After assessing the situation, officers were able to safely seize two dogs.
"These were registered XL Bully dogs and prior to officers’ arrival had been contained inside a room in the house. They did not leave the house at any time during the incident. The family of the woman, who was the owner of the dogs, are being supported by officers."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson told The Mirror: "We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, an incident response officer and London’s air ambulance. We treated a person but sadly, despite our efforts, they were pronounced dead at the scene.”
New restrictions on XL Bully dogs came into force on December 31 last year following heightened concern about attacks involving the breed. It is now a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public.
It is also illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange, abandoned or let XL Bully dogs stray. The move was made after 23 people in the UK died in the three years leading up to the start of the ban.