Dog left with serious burns after being sprayed with acid while playing in back garden

A dog has been left with severe burns after being sprayed with an acid-type chemical as it played in the back garden of its home.

Jax's owners, Stephen Myers and Sarah Bedford, were horrified when the Staffordshire Bull Terrier came into their Salford home with clumps of fur falling out, Manchester Evening News reported.

The two-year-old pet was rushed to a vet with injuries to its neck and liquid running down its back.

It is believed someone sprayed the corrosive substance through the garden fence – just minutes after the couple's two young children had been playing there.

The family has reported the incident to the police, who are still investigating.

Stephen Myers, 31, said Jax is now back at their home in Little Hulton but is too afraid to go out in the garden.

"When [Jax] came back in my partner noticed he had something down his back and his fur was falling out," he told the Manchester Evening News.

"It has burned him as if it was sprayed through a water bottle. We took him to the vets straight away and they said he had some sort of chemical burn.

"He is fine, being a bit sheepish, he won't go out in the garden now. It is on his neck going down his back like a burn."

The incident comes after the number of acid attack victims in England has doubled since 2012, police figures show.

In 2012/13, there were 146 reported acid attack victims. This compares with 398 in 2016/17.

The surge has led to calls for more restrictions to be placed on the sale of corrosive substances.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101 - or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.