Woman in her 80s dies after being attacked by escaped dogs

A man has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control

Police, paramedics and an air ambulance arrived at Boundary Avenue, in Rowley Regis, at 3.20pm (Google Street View)

An elderly woman has died in a fatal dog attack in Rowley Regis, in the West Midlands.

Police said the two escaped dogs – which have now been seized to establish their breed – did not belong to the woman, who was in her 80s, but had managed to get into her garden in Boundary Avenue before attacking her.

West Midlands Police was alerted after the woman was found in the garden suffering from serious injuries on Friday afternoon.

Police, paramedics and an air ambulance arrived at the address at about 3.20pm but, despite their best efforts, the woman could not be saved.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

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A local man has since been detained on suspicion of being the person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.

He remains in custody for questioning.

The victim sustained dog bite injuries, police said, but a post mortem examination will take place in due course to establish the cause of death.

The road was reopened at about 7pm, though officers were expected to remain in place overnight while they investigate the circumstances of the pensioner’s death.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the woman at this deeply distressing time,” a West Midlands Police spokesman said in a statement.

Additional reporting by PA