THE parents of tragic Jade Lomas-Anderson headed to parliament to call for tougher controls on dogs.

Their 14-year-old daughter was savaged by four dogs, believed to be two bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers, when she was alone at a friend’s house in Chaucer Grove, Atherton, on March 26.

The owner of the dogs could not be prosecuted because the attack took place on private property, prompting calls for tougher regulations from Jade’s parents, campaigners and Bolton West MP Julie Hilling.

This afternoon, Jade’s mum Shirley, aged 36, and stepdad Michael, aged 33, were joined by Ms Hilling — whose constituency covers Atherton — for a visit to parliament where they spoke with Lord De Mauley, the parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

They discussed Jade’s case and what they thought the government should do to strengthen legislation on dangerous animals.

Mr Lomas-Anderson said: “It was a positive meeting, but we said things don’t go far enough and he seemed to take that on board.”

He said: “I can’t put into words how hard it’s been in the last few weeks, but we just have to carry on.

“We’ve got other children so you just have to make things as normal as you can for them.

“We’re never going to be the same, but we just need to try to prevent this from happening again, and we’ll never stop doing that.”

The government announced in the Queen’s speech that new regulations would be introduced, including making it an offence if a dog attacks an “assistance dog” such as a guide dog, and making it illegal to own or be in charge of a dog that is out of control in a private place, not just in a public one.

But Mr Hilling — who has campaigned for tighter restrictions on dogs since she was elected in 2010 — said regulations do not go far enough.

She said: “It was a positive meeting. He believes the present legislation deals with preventative measures, but we’re not as convinced.”