Windmill Lane dog incident Sheffield: Police shoot 'out of control' dog after two injured near Firth Park

A 'dangerously out of control' dog has been shot dead by police marksmen after injuring two people on a Sheffield street.

The dog, which is believed to have been a Staffordshire bull terrier, is reported to have bitten two people, causing injuries that were serious enough to have required hospital treatment.

Windmill Lane, near Firth Park, was sealed off while police dealt with the incident, and South Yorkshire Police has stated that efforts were initially made to capture the animal.

A spokesman for the force told The Star, in a statement, that they were called at around 10.40pm on Friday, August 11 following reports a dog had bitten two members of the public, adding that the animal was reported to have bitten two people, causing injuries that required hospital treatment.

They said: "Officers were sent to Windmill Lane to attempt to capture the dog, where it is understood the dog became increasingly aggressive towards other members of the public and our officers, posing a significant risk to the public. Authorisation was given to destroy the dog to prevent any further injuries.

"An investigation is ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the dog being dangerously out of control."

Earlier this summer, police raised concerns over increasing reports of incidents involving 'dangerous dogs'.

South Yorkshire Police's assistant chief constable, Dan Thorpe, said in June that each year, police saw significant increases in dangerous dog related incidents, adding that the number of incidents had more than doubled in the last five years.

He said: "In 2018, we saw 77 of these incidents and have already seen 180 in the first six months of this year.”

Dr Alan Billings, the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, has also raised concerns about the number of dog attacks in South Yorkshire and the UK as a whole.