A DOG was shot by police after an attack in a Bradford residential street that left two women requiring hospital treatment and a smaller dog seriously injured.

One of the witnesses to the incident, which happened yesterday morning, has told the Telegraph & Argus how she saw one of the women laid on the floor, trying to protect the smaller dog from being attacked.

Police say they destroyed the animal, believed to be a bull terrier, in the interests of public safety. They are still trying to identify who its owner is.

The incident happened on Torre Road in Horton Bank Top at 9.40am, and when police and the ambulance service arrived they found a 62-year-old woman had been bitten by a dog on the street, suffering facial injuries.

Her own dog was also attacked in the incident.

A 20-year-old woman was also injured by the dog, suffering cuts to her hands, and she too required hospital treatment.

The injured were taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary for treatment.

Officers found the suspect dog in a garden. Whilst they were attempting to capture the animal, the dog escaped from the garden. Police then shot the animal, with witnesses describing three shots being fired.

They are in the process of determining what breed of dog it was.

A police spokesman said: "It could potentially cause further harm to the public and the decision was taken to destroy it."

Chief Inspector Ian Gayles of Bradford District Police said: ‘‘We treat all reports involving dogs behaving in a dangerous manner extremely seriously. Officers attending the incident made the difficult decision to destroy the animal in the interests of wider public safety after the dog had already caused injury to two people.

"Enquiries are continuing to trace the owner."

Nicole Tetley came across the incident while she was walking to a bus stop with her husband and her three children, all under three. She said: "I could hear someone screaming and crying for help.

"When we got to where it was coming from we saw a lady with a small dog, not letting go. The bigger dog had it in its jaws.

"She had been trying to help the dog get free and the bigger dog has bitten her on the face and her hands. The younger girl was trying to help too."

Mrs Tetley took her family into the garden of a nearby house to keep them safe from the animal, and it was from there she rang police and an ambulance. Of the attack she said: "The bigger dog was ragging it in its mouth, it looked like a dog with a teddy in its mouth."

When police arrived, the bigger dog was in the garden of a property on the road. Mrs Tetley said: "The police tried to catch it with a loop, but as soon as they opened the gate it went for them and got out. They had to shoot it."

She was unsure of the breed, but said it was the size of a bull terrier, while the smaller dog that was attacked seemed to be a Scottie dog.

After the incident a number of people took to social media to condemn the police for killing the dog.

However Mrs Tetley felt police acted the only way they could. She said: "It was vicious. It could easily have harmed a child if there was one on the street. I think they had to shoot it, they didn't have a choice. It could have done it again. It was very scary."