Four rushed to hospital after out-of-control dog sinks teeth into them in cemetery attack
A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog.
Four people have been taken to hospital after a dog attack in a cemetery in west London. The dog sank its teeth into the victims at Margravine Cemetery, Hammersmith, at about 11.15am on Saturday.
The victims' injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. The graveyard is next to Queen's Club's tennis courts.
Police and paramedics rushed to the scene of the attack after receiving reports of several people being injured inside the cemetery in Field Road.
Officers managed to seize the hound and restrain it. The Metropolitan Police did not confirm what breed the dog is.
A man, 48, was arrested at the cemetery on suspicion of being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog. He is being questioned at a police station in west London.
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What the public needs to know about the rise in dog attacks — and how to stay safe
Dog attacks have increased by more than a third in the past five years causing worry among the public as more people fall victim to horrific attacks.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the four victims self-presented at hospital with puncture wounds.
They added: "Their conditions were assessed as not life-threatening."
Detectives from the Met's Central West Command Unit are investigating.
Anyone who saw what happened should call the police via 101 using the reference CAD 2817/01Jul.
Separately, a total of 39 people have lost their lives to brutal dog attacks over the past decade in Britain with over half of these taking place post-pandemic.
Veterinary charity PDSA has said dog ownership has increased 15 percent since 2018, from 8.9 million to 10.2 million. Fatal maulings have shot up tenfold.
A total of 10 deaths were reported last year, but 2023 is on pace to shatter that record.