There have been 16 deaths by dog bites recorded so far this year, more than double the six fatalities in 2022. Between 1991 and 2021, the number never went above five, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
The increase has been blamed on a rise in dog ownership sparked by Covid - 11 million in 2023 compared to 9.6 million in 2021, according to charity PDSA - with puppies bred and smuggled from abroad with little care for their welfare.
The overall number of dog attacks has also soared. Figures obtained by The Independent from police forces in England and Wales show there has been an almost 60 per cent rise in the last five years.
A government ban on the XL bully breed is due to come into effect on Sunday. But experts warn the move focuses too much on a single breed and a complete overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act is needed, with calls for licencing and tougher punishments for irresponsible owners.
Concerns have also been raised that the XL bully ban could be undermined by the number of owners receiving an exemption: the majority of 4,000 applications so far have been approved by Defra.
Figures show that up to 31 October this year, there were just over 14,300 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury, recorded by 26 of the UK's 43 police forces. This is up from 9,100 in the same 10-month period in 2019, and a year-on-year increase from 2020, when there were 9,300 reported; 2021, when there were 10,600; and 2022, when there were 12,100.
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