An arrest has been made after a dog suspected to be an XL bully attacked a woman in Blackpool.
Armed police were called to Havelock Street at about 5.30pm on Monday after a report that a woman had been bitten by a dog, Lancashire Police said.
A man in his 40s was arrested at a property on suspicion of having a dog dangerously out of control.
The dog, thought to be an XL bully, was seized, the force added.
A witness said she saw a man appear to hit a dog before the incident.
Emelia McPartland, 19, said she then saw a woman confronting a man in the street.
“It started on Coronation Street just outside Morrisons, this man was walking his dog, dragging the dog and shouting at it,” she said.
“He started punching the dog in the face.”
Miss McPartland said the man walked to Havelock Street, where a passing car stopped and a woman got out.
She added: “The woman was shouting at him saying what he was doing is disgusting, he was telling her to mind her business.”
The witness said the woman approached the man and was then bitten by the dog.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “We were called shortly after 5.30pm yesterday to a report that a woman had been bitten by a dog on Havelock Street in Blackpool.
“Officers, including armed officers, attended and a man in his 40s was arrested at a property on suspicion of having a dog dangerously out of control. He remains in custody.
“A dog, suspected to be an XL bully type, was seized from the address.
“The woman, in her 20s, was taken to hospital for treatment to a dog bite injury to her hand.”
From February 1, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.
Anyone who owns one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, have it microchipped and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.
