Dexter Neal : Boy, 3, dies after being attacked by dog in Halstead, Essex

Police arrest 29-year-old woman for having animal dangerously out of control

(Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A three-year-old boy has died after being bitten by a dog in Essex.

Dexter Neal was attacked in a residential road in Halstead at around 5.40pm on Thursday and airlifted to hospital, but later died of his injuries.

Essex Police said a 29-year-old woman has been arrested for allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control and injuring a person.

The animal has been seized by police and placed in kennels.

It came days after a 52-year-old man died following a dog attack in Huddersfield, where he had been walking his own pet near his home.

Four breeds of dog are banned in the UK - the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero - and it is illegal for any dog to be let dangerously out of control.

The offence can be punished with prison sentences of up to 14 years if the animal causes death or five years for injury, while lesser offences can be punished with shorter sentences, fines, bans on dog ownership or orders for the pet to be put down.