Britain’s hotspots for dog attacks revealed as thousands rushed to hospital after being mauled – are you in danger?
BRITAIN’S most dangerous spots for dog attacks can today be revealed with thousands rushed to hospital after maulings.
New figures released this week by the NHS show medics are being forced to carry out daily operations to save people's lives and limbs.
We scanned the information and found the 20 areas of the UK where hospitals now perform the most procedures.
It showed how the most were carried out in Kent and Medway, with doctors there carrying out 250 operations last year - equivalent to around five a week.
Our story comes amid a growing concern about certain breeds, especially the XL Bully which has been linked to a number of recent fatal attacks.
Just last month MPs called for the American Bully XL to become the fifth breed added to the UK’s banned list after a spate of maulings.
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The dangerous beast has been responsible for multiple killings in recent months with one of the youngest victims being just 12 months old.
Bella-Rae Birch was fatally mauled by the family pet just a week after her dad bought it.
She was killed following the attack at her home in St Helens, Merseyside, in March last year.
Another victim, Jack Lis, 10, was killed by an eight-stone dog called Beast in November 2021.
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His mum recently told how she had to identify his body by a shoe following the savaging.
In August 2022, Ian Symes, 34, died from “catastrophic” neck injuries after a 52kg XL Bully Dog, he bought on Snapchat, pounced on him.
And dad Jonathan Hogg, 37, was looking after the same breed of hound for a pal when it turned on him in a fatal attack.
Now, data obtained by the NHS indicates these killings are part of a growing trend in serious attacks.
In fact, according to official stats, the number of people requiring NHS treatment for dog attacks has been rising year-on-year for almost two decades.
Between 2007/08, hospitals dealt with 4,699 - but by 2017-18 this had almost doubled to 8,582.
The following year, 2019/20 saw 8,933 recorded cases. Admissions then dropped to 7,424 during Covid lockdowns in 2020/21 but they rose again to 2021/22 to 8,819 before hitting a record high of 9,366 between 2022/23.
Of those cases 3,743 victims required reconstructive surgery, and the majority of those undergoing surgery were children.
Over that period, medics operated on 374 dog attack victims aged four and under; 359 aged five to nine-years-old, and 273 aged 10 to 14.
This comes as one woman was left hospitalised for a week after a savage attack which left a "chunk of flesh" ripped from her arm.
Laura Walker, 39, was walking her miniature poodle Ted near her home in Epping in Essex when her neighbour's XL Pitbull-type dog leapt out at them.
Meanwhile, a seven-year-old needed plastic surgery after a stray Alsatian dog attacked him.
Freddie Turner was playing with his sister, eight, and other kids in a friend’s garden when the loose dog tried to tear him to pieces.
The young boy suffered multiple puncture wounds to his shoulder, back and chest and a huge cut under his arm needed stitching. He now tries to hide whenever he sees a big dog.
Plus, a mum has told of her heartbreak after her toddler daughter was attacked by a dog which savaged her face.
Paula Gaughan, 32, said three-year-old Stella will also need plastic surgery after she suffered deep gashes and severe bruising in the horrifying mauling.
Elsewhere in the UK, a boy who was savagely attacked by a dog while playing football still can't leave his garden months later.
Giorgi Fullbirg-Taylor suffered "severe" bite wounds after a jet-black mixed terrier mutt locked his jaws around the 10-year-old.
He went under the knife for plastic surgery to repair the damage on February 15, and remained in hospital overnight.
Britain's dog attack hotspots
Kent and Medway - 250
Black Countty - 180
Coventry and Warwickshire - 170
Devon - 165
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West - 160
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire - 160
Cheshire and Merseyside - 160
Hampshire and Isle of Wight - 160
South East London - 150
Norfold and Waveney - 150
West Yorkshire - 150
North East and North Cumbria - 145
Derby and Derbyshire - 145
North West London - 145
South West London - 145
Sussex - 140
South Yorkshire - 135
West Yorkshire - 130
Hertfordshire and West Essex - 120
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes - 105
