'XL Bully dog' victim says she was 'scared to death' after chilling attack

The 66-year-old sustained puncture wounds to her face and side - and, thanks to the bites, had to receive a tetanus jab.

She said the attack - which took place on a sunny day just outside her property in Chingford, just over the Essex border in East London, left her "bag of nerves", adding that she was still in shock weeks later.

The harrowing mauling was caught on CCTV - and showed how one XL Bully had approached playfully, before the other joined in, amping the pair up and forcing their owner to step in in order to pull the duo off their stricken victim.

Thankfully, the 66-year-old remained calm in the heat of the moment - and, according to her son Mark, she knew to stay down on the ground rather than rise to her feet and risk further enraging the bloodthirsty animals.

Mark added that the dogs - which belong to his mother's neighbour - are "never wearing muzzles in public", adding that Catherine had "been living in fear of these dogs for a long time".

He continued: "They're often left in the back garden and my mum can hear them non-stop barking all day long. When they're inside the house, they're still barking and banging themselves up against walls.

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"There haven't been any other attacks with these dogs, as far as I'm aware, but I think that's just because they're kept cooped up all day.

"I think the fact that we haven't heard anything from the police when they have all the evidence is a massive shame, especially since they're meant to be cracking down... Who knows - next time, it could be a child."

Catherine's son revealed that she had even reached out to contact her MP prior to the election-mandated dissolution of Parliament, Iain Duncan Smith, in order to intervene and see if she could move house.

In response to the attacks, the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at about 5.32pm on Friday, May 10, to reports of an incident where a woman was allegedly attacked by two dogs.

"The woman attended hospital and her injuries were not believed to be significant. Officers met with the victim as part of a scheduled appointment on Sunday, May 12. No arrests have been made. Enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing."

Since February 1, it has been an offence to sell, abandon, give away, breed, or walk an unleashed and unmuzzled XL Bully dog in England and Wales, with Scotland imposing the same legislation on February 23.

Nearly 40,000 XL Bully dogs are thought to still be on Britain’s streets despite a ban on the breed being introduced - according to the banned breeds register, some 38,424 dogs were granted the £92 exemption to avoid being put down.

Estimates suggest there have been over 25 deaths linked to the breed since 2021.