An eight-month-old baby is in serious condition after being attacked by an XL Bully-type dog.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident in Hawkinge near Folkestone in Kent.

Emergency crews were called on Wednesday afternoon to reports that a baby had been bitten by a dog. Police, paramedics and an air ambulance were sent to Siskin Close.

The baby was airlifted to a specialist London hospital to receive medical care.

The dog was confirmed and registered as an XL Bully, having now been seized by police and later put down.

An 18-year-old man and a 76-year old woman have been arrested on the suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Kent Police was called at 2.23pm on Wednesday to a report that an infant had been bitten by a dog inside a property on Siskin Close, Hawkinge near Folkestone.

“Officers attended along with South East Coast Ambulance Service and an eight month old girl was airlifted to a London hospital where she remains in a serious condition. 

“The dog was seized and destroyed. An 18-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. They remain in custody while enquiries continue.”

XL bully dogs can only be legally owned in England and Wales with an exemption certificate.

A law change in February means breeding, selling or abandoning them is also illegal. A prison sentence of up to 14 years can be served to people with dangerously out-of-control dogs.

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