GP surgery placed in lockdown after dog attack

A GP surgery was briefly put into lockdown after a 33-year-old man was attacked by a dog in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police said Dovercourt Group Practice was shut and patients were held inside the building after the incident which happened on Skye Edge Avenue at 08:30 BST on Thursday.

The victim suffered bite injuries to his hand and leg and had to be treated in hospital, officers said.

A Japanese Akita has been taken into custody and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Police have renewed a plea to dog owners to be responsible for their animals and said the incident was the 18th report it had received of a dog causing "injury or fear" in the space of three days.

Ch Insp Emma Cheney said police had shot two other dogs in woodland near Rotherham earlier this week and that officers had "taken a lot of abuse" for doing so.

She added: "We understand these incidents are extremely distressing for the dogs' owners.

"Shooting a dog is never a decision taken lightly by our officers, many of whom are dog owners themselves, but the safety of our communities and officers will always be paramount."

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