Young woman dies in Bristol dog attack

A 19-year-old woman has died in a dog attack at a flat in Bristol, police say.

Two people have been arrested following the attack at about 19:00 GMT on Wednesday at the property in Cobhorn Drive, south Bristol.

Officers sedated and seized the dog which will be assessed by experts. Initial reports suggested it may be an XL Bully, but police said it was too early to confirm the breed.

A man and woman both in their 20s are in custody after being arrested on suspicion of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act, including being in possession of a prohibited breed of dog.

Insp Terry Murphy, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the family of the young woman who’s tragically died as a result of yesterday evening’s incident.”

“A full investigation is now well underway to establish the full circumstances of the events that led to her death.”

He added that there will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days.

Witnesses have described seeing a huge emergency response as police and paramedics attended the scene.

Doreen Tovey said the incident was “very frightening”.

“I came out my house to see what all the commotion was,” she said.

“[There were] loads of police cars, riot van, ambulance across the road from me.”

Resident Gary Steadman said he heard “screaming” and that the incident was heartbreaking.

He also described the dog as “big, butch and brown and white” in colour.