Man taken to hospital after being attacked by a dog believed to be an XL Bully in southeast London

A man has been taken to hospital after being savaged by a dog, believed to be an XL Bully, in a southeast London park.

The man, aged in his 40s, was bitten on his arm by the grey dog in Pasley Park, Walworth, on Friday (22 September).

The dog’s owner fled with the animal before Metropolitan Police officers arrived on the scene, the force said.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement it is attempting to track down the canine’s owner, adding: “There have been no arrests. Inquiries are ongoing.”

The incident follows a recent rise in attacks on humans by XL Bully dogs, which sparked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to order that the animals be added to the UK’s banned dogs list by the end of the year.

The Prime Minister said the breed was a “danger to our communities, particularly children”, and that ministers would draw up plans to prohibit ownership of the dogs by 2024.

He said: “It’s clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs. It’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on,” he said in a video clip.

“I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public. Today I have tasked ministers to bring together police and experts to firstly define the breed of dog behind these attacks with a view to then outlawing it.”

Mr Sunak said the “vital first step” for the Government would be to outline a specific definition for XL Bullies, before banning the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

“New laws will be in place by the end of the year,” he said. “These dogs are dangerous. I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe.”

In one attack on 9 September, an 11-year-old girl and two men who came to her aid were bitten by a XL Bully in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.

A 60-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of possessing a dog dangerously out of control in relation to that attack.

After Ian Price was attacked just yards from his home by two dogs in Stonall, Staffordshire on 14 September, he died in hospital from serious injuries.

A 30-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and dangerous dog ownership and has been released on bail.

Unlike in the US, the dogs are not yet defined as a specific breed under British law.

The animals pose a threat to the public, campaigners say, because they have been cross-bred with other breeds to enhance their muscularity.