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More than 3,500 devil dogs have been given legal clearance to live in UK homes – a rise of exactly 900 in five years.

The shock total includes breeds at the centre of banning orders for a string of mauling horrors, sometimes fatal.

Exemption certificates from courts have soared from 2,658 in 2014 to 3,558 last year, Government figures un-covered by the Sunday People reveal.

All the dogs involved are pitbulls with the exception of two Japanese Tosas and 21 Dogo Argentinos.

The orders mean that the animals must wear a muzzle and be kept on a lead in public.

(Image: Getty)

Fatal mauling victims in the last 12 months include pitbull owner Jonny Halstead, 35.

The epilepsy sufferer died after being bitten “multiple times” by his dog – later shot dead by police – after suffering a medical episode and collapsing at his property in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

And last June seven-year-old Lewis Moffatt was horrifically injured when he was mauled by an American pitbull as he played outside in Liverpool.

He recovered after two days’ treatment in hospital.

(Image: MEN Media)

The Japanese Tosa was bred specifically for fighting, while the Dogo Argentino’s purpose was hunting large animals in its South American country of origin. They became popular for dog fighting after being brought to Britain.

People who are found guilty of arranging dog fights, a practice illegal in the UK since 1835, can be jailed for 12 months and fined £20,000.

If a court decides a banned dog is safe for ownership, the animal must also be registered and insured, neutered, tattooed and fitted with a microchip implant.

Campaigners were asked to respond to the exemptions rise.