Hospitals treating more dog bites

The number of people admitted to hospital for injuries caused by dogs is on the rise.

In 2010-11, there were 6,120 hospital admissions resulting from injuries caused by dogs in England, according to data from the NHS Information Centre. This is up 5 per cent on the previous year and represents the most serious injuries requiring a hospital stay, not just those cases seen in A&E.

About one in six (17 per cent) of those ending up in hospital was a child under 10 (1,010 admissions). Dog-related injuries accounted for about half of all the 12,410 admissions caused by animals in 2010-11.

This April saw the most cases relating to dogs of any month in the past two years, and the North-west of England was the worst-affected region.