SHOCKED householders feared for their children when stray dogs ran amok on a quiet residential street and “ripped a kitten to shreds”.

Linda Thompson, of Allerton, told the T&A how three dogs - two of which she described as looking like greyhounds while the other was a large cross-breed - appeared on Leyside Drive “unleashed and unmuzzled” with no sign of any owners.

Mrs Thompson said that the dogs appeared from the wooded area of the Chellow Dene reservoir, which the area backs on to.

They attacked her kitten and then circled her neighbour Nahim Ahmed’s car, before eventually retreating back to Chellow Dene.

Mr Ahmed said, “They were big dogs and their mouths were covered in blood. I saw them tear the poor kitten to bits and I was too scared to get out of my car.”

Mrs Thompson said that it was incredibly lucky that no children were out playing on the street at the time the dogs appeared, as they seemed “trained to attack”.

Mr Ahmed, who has children aged nine and seven, said that after he saw the dogs attacking the kitten he looked to see if any children were out on the street, but thankfully everyone was inside and safe.

WARNING: Video may be upsetting

He said: “The dogs eventually darted back into the fields of Chellow Dene. Shortly after, I saw some of my neighbours going there with their children. I had to warn them not to go.

“For a few days after the incident, everyone on the street kept their children inside.

“If the dogs could do that to a kitten, who knows what they could do to a young child playing on the street?”

“Even now, everyone in the area is being vigilant as we are scared that the dogs could return.”

The incident, which happened on Tuesday September 17 at around 6.15pm was reported to police, with Mr. Ahmed suggesting that they should patrol the area and do door-to-door enquiries in order to find the dogs’ owners.

Another neighbour said he found the incident concerning as his four-year-old daughter often plays out on the street.

He added: “We’ve put a precautionary lock on our door now, to make sure our children are safe. We are all quite worried after what happened.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This sounds like a really sad incident. The RSPCA promotes responsible dog ownership and it’s important that all dog owners keep their pets under control in public places.”

West Yorkshire Police confirmed they are looking into the attack.

The force said in a statement: “This incident remains under investigation and enquiries are being made to identify the owners of the dogs involved. Anyone who can assist with these enquiries is asked to call police on 101 or use the online contact options on the West Yorkshire Police website, quoting log 1628 of 17 September.”