A MOTHER has spoken of the terrifying moment she turned to see a dog attacking her five-year-old daughter while they were enjoying a day at the park.

Little Marina Rutherford was sitting on the zip wire at the children’s play area in Rowan Drive on Saturday when a Staffordshire Bull Terrier jumped up and bit her stomach and wrist.

Mum Yvonne was collecting the family’s bags with their lunches in when she heard her daughter’s piercing scream.

The 39-year-old said: “I went to go pick up our bags and then I heard my daughter screaming.

“I panicked thinking she had fallen over or something but then when I ran up to her I could see this great big dog up on the zipwire seat biting her.

“The owner came over and just said bad dog and then walked away with him, he didn’t apologise or ask if she was okay or anything, I was quite angry.”

Luckily Marina only had minor wounds but Yvonne said it could have been much worse.

The mum-of-two added: “I don’t blame the dog at all, it’s all down to the owner.

“Why wasn’t the dog on a lead?

In areas like a play area they should be because you never know what a dog might do.

“He shouldn’t have been allowed to run off, it’s just common sense to keep it under control in a public area.

“If the dog had latched onto her leg instead of the seat it could have been a lot worse, it’s not even worth thinking about.”

A spokesperson for Taunton Deane Council said that there had been no prosecutions in the past couple of years for dogs biting dogs, which is a civil offence.

A spokesperosn for Avon and Somerset Police said that in the past six months, 24 people had been charged with failing to keep under control in the Somerset West area which covers Taunton.

But James McNally, a solicitor from Slee Blackwell in Taunton said the problem wasn’t getting any better.

He added: “Since the new legislation came in under the new Dangerous Dogs Act, we’ve not seen a decrease in the number of people being bitten by dogs.

“We need to do more to prevent the incidents happening, not just trying to deal with them when they have happened as its too late.

“We need to accept that some people just shouldn’t have dogs or the dogs they want as all dogs are capable of the attack and while this little girl was lucky, she could be left with longer lasting psychological effects.”

Yvonne added: “Marina was a little shaken up afterwards but I am hoping this doesn’t leave her afraid of dogs.

“She’s a bit fed up of all the attention, especially from her brother Mason who keeps asking to see her tummy.”

Following a police appeal, a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said that the man had been identified.

They added: “We spoke to a man on Tuesday, June 30 and issued him with a written warning to keep the dog under control.”