Dogs shot after attacking woman

Two dogs have been shot dead by police after savaging a woman in a street.

The 42-year-old woman suffered serious injuries to her arms and legs after the large bull mastiffs attacked her in Speke in Liverpool.

The woman was walking home early on Friday when the animals escaped from a nearby property and pounced on her.

The dogs had fled by the time police arrived, but were traced to a nearby house where they were shot, said a spokeswoman for Merseyside Police.

The injured woman was taken to Whiston Hospital in a serious, but not life-threatening condition.

The spokeswoman said: "The dogs were traced to a nearby house and destroyed by firearms officers with the owner's consent.

"An investigation is under way to establish if any offences have been committed."