Chatham toddler fighting for life in hospital after being savaged by a dog

A child is fighting for her life in hospital after being attacked by a crazed dog at an address in Chatham, south-east England.

The dog was shot by police following the rampage and two people have been arrested in connection with the incident on Tuesday (4 April).

Armed police neutralised the canine after responding to an emergency call to a property in Jenkins Dale at 5.26pm.

South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Service also attended the scene. The victim, a girl thought to be around 18-months, was rushed to hospital in London with life-threatening injuries, report The Daily Mail.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident and they have been taken into custody while enquiries into the incident continue. Members of the public who may have footage of the incident are asked to contact Kent Police on 101 and not upload it onto social media."

Neighbour Jaspreet Uppal told the Mail Online: "First I heard a gunshot, there was a dog on the floor. A few officers carried out a child from the back area of the flats. There is a little park there. I could not see the child, they were covered. I think they were quite small."

The attack in Chatham comes just days after a man was mauled to death by his own Staffordshire bull terrier at a property in Wood Green, north London.

IT expert Mario Perivoitos, 41, was being interviewed by a BBC film crew at the time. The camera crew were interviewed under caution but not arrested.

On Sunday (2nd April) armed police shot dead two dogs which went on the rampage attacking shoppers in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Two other dogs were seized and a fifth dog escaped. Their owner, David Hennessy, has been charged with allowing dogs to be out of control in a public place.