Colchester dog attack: Baby killed and brother seriously hurt

Image captionA discarded coat was left on the drive of the house on Thursday afternoon

A four-month-old baby boy has died and his 22-month-old brother is seriously injured after a dog attack in Colchester.

The dog also attacked the children's mother. The surviving boy was left with "life-changing injuries", Essex Police said.

Officers were called to the junction of Tara Close and Harwich Road at 15:10 BST on Thursday following reports someone had been bitten by a dog.

Police said the dog had been put down.

The seriously injured child was taken to Colchester General Hospital and later transferred to a specialist unit.

The boys' mother sustained minor injuries after being bitten.

Latest updates after baby killed by dog

Image captionForensics officers remained at the house where the attack took place into the night

The attack comes just eight weeks after another fatal dog attack in Essex when three-year-old Dexter Neal was bitten by an American bulldog in Halstead.

A woman was arrested and bailed in connection with that attack.

Essex Police said no arrests had been made so far in connection with the Colchester attack.

Ch Insp Elliot Judge described the baby's death and his brother's injury as a "tragic incident" and said officers were supporting the family.

Police would not confirm dog's breed but said it had been put to sleep "with the consent of the owner".

Neighbours told the BBC the family had only recently moved to the area.

One, Dave Thompson, said: "The first thing I noticed was an armed response vehicle.

"I saw what must have been the first ambulance roar off under police escort."

He said police backed into the drive of the house to "recover the animal" which he described as a "Staffordshire bull breed".

Image captionArmed response units, forensics teams, paramedics and dog handlers were all at the scene

"It was alive and not aggressive when they brought it out of the house and put it into the back of the van. It was quite big, I think it was a cross breed.

"Everyone had been pushed back by the police and a woman came out of the house first," he said.

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At the scene

Ian Puckey, BBC Essex Political Producer

We were told on Thursday that three people, including a baby and child, had been injured in an attack by a dog.

Earlier today the terrible update came through from police that the baby has died of those injuries.

As the first floral tributes are laid outside the house, it's apparent the whole community has been affected by this tragedy.

Everybody I've spoken to here is in shock.

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Another neighbour, Scott Mills, who lives in a house opposite, described how passing schoolchildren gathered to witness the aftermath of the tragedy.

"There were a lot of children about because of the time - a lot of children were coming home from school," the 24-year-old said.

He described the dog removed from the house as "not a normal Staffie. It was a lot more chunky probably a Staffordshire cross or some kind of bulldog breed".

Mr Mills added: "No-one opposite knows the family but I wish them the best at this awful time."

Image captionEmergency services were called to Tara Close in Colchester after reports someone had been bitten by a dog

Will Quince, MP for Colchester, tweeted: "So sad to hear of the death of a baby in a dog attack in Colchester. My thoughts and prayers are with his brother now at Colchester Hospital."

He later tweeted to say he understood the boy had been transferred to a "specialist unit".

The scene remains cordoned off.