Stocks Road, Ashton-on-Ribble.

Jill Jones, from Ashton, was attacked as she was walking her dog in Stocks Road, near the canal, around 2.30pm on Sunday, December 30.

The 55-year-old had been taking her Cockapoo puppy Charlie on his afternoon walk, when she noticed 'two large, Bulldog-type dogs' following her.

The dogs were loose, with no owner in sight, when they suddenly bolted towards Jill and her frightened puppy.

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Stocks Road, Ashton-on-Ribble.

According to her son Andrew, the 'wild dogs' lunged full-speed at the young Cockapoo and began mauling him.

The dogs gripped the puppy's neck by their teeth as Jill tried desperately to protect him.

But the crazed dogs soon turned their attention on her.

The dogs pounced on Jill, knocking her over and snapping at her hands.

Her screams were heard by neighbours on Roebuck Street and a number of people ran to her aid and tried to scare the dogs away.

Jill was taken to hospital to be treated for lacerations to her hands and had to be kept in overnight due to the severity of the bites.

Andrew said: "They just launched themselves at my mum's dog and my mum tried to stop them biting Charlie. She thought they were going to kill him.

"She ended up underneath it all trying to protect him. God knows how, but it all ended up on Stocks Road.

"A few people tried to help and and one man managed to get them off. He picked my mum's dog up and they ran into his house.

"He then took Charlie to the vets and his wife helped my mum out until I got there.

"We took her straight to the hospital and they had to keep her in overnight. Hopefully, she'll be allowed home later today."

The neighbour, concerned that the dogs might attack another person, bravely ventured back out onto the street and managed to restrain one of the dogs.

But the other dog ran off down Roebuck Street towards Inkerman Street.

The man held onto the out-of-control dog for over an hour whilst waiting for police to arrive.

Andrew said police visited his mum in hospital last night and confirmed they had seized the dogs. Police told him they suspect the dogs of being a Pitt Bull cross-breed, but they will need to be analysed before a decision is taken on whether to destroy them.

Andrew added: "Poor Charlie has been really shook up. It's such a shame because he's the softest dog you could ever meet.

"He's all bandaged up and has puncture wounds all over his body, on his sides and on his ears."

A police spokesman added: "We were called by the Ambulance Service yesterday afternoon (Sunday, December 30) at around 2.45pm to the report that a woman had been attacked by two dogs on Stocks Road in Ashton, Preston.

"The woman, 55, was walking her dog when the two unsupervised animals have run towards her.

"They have knocked her over, bit her dog’s ear and then mauled her hands as she protected her pet.

"Members of the public have heard her screams and have gone to help.

"A man managed to apprehend one of the dogs. The other ran off.

"Police tracked it down to an address on De Lacy Street.

"Both animals have been seized and enquiries are on-going to establish their breed."

Police could not confirm whether the owner of the dogs has been arrested.