Man rushed to hospital after being injured by dog believed to be an XL bully

The dog is believed to be a grey-coloured XL bully

The man, in his 40s, was attacked by the dog in southeast London. He was taken to hospital with injuries to his arm.

The dog and its owner both fled the scene before police arrived.

Earlier this month it was announced by Rishi Sunak that the animals will be outlawed under the Dangerous Dog Act.

The Prime Minister confirmed that the new laws will be in place before the end of the year following a recent spike in attacks over summer.

In his announcement, Sunak said: “Yesterday, we saw another suspected XL Bully dog attack which tragically led to a fatality. It’s obvious this is not a few badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.

“While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public.

“Today I have tasked ministers to bring together police and experts, to firstly define the breed of dog behind these attacks, with the view to then outlawing it. It is not currently a breed defined in law, so this vital first step must happen fast.

“We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year.”

Related links:

• Dog owner who lost arm after American Bulldog mauled her is suing RSPCA for £200,000
• Martial arts expert shares ‘best option’ to take in an XL bully attack
• Girl, 11, attacked by XL bully in Birmingham says the dog should be put down and its owner jailed