A TEENAGER has spoken of the moment he tried to stop a dog’s vicious attack in a quiet Accrington street.

Wade Rushton said he threw a brick at a boxer mastiff cross while it was mauling his 60-year-old neighbour on a footpath off Marsden Street, leaving her with penetrating injuries to the bone.

The 18-year-old, who lives on the street, said: “I came out because I heard somebody screaming. I went down the footpath and the dog was just chewing her up.

“She was defending herself, stabbing at the dog with a piece of plastic. The dog is usually dead friendly but it was just proper going, and would not stop.

“I came out with a knife because I was going to stab it, but people were saying, ‘no’, so I threw a brick instead.”

Another neighbour, who lives doors away from the dog’s victim called emergency services during the attack, at around 2.30pm on Sunday.

Mr Rushton said: “The ambulance came and the woman just got up. It was like angels came down and helped her. The dog was still biting her and there was blood everywhere.”

The victim was treated by paramedics, who called police, before being taken to Royal Preston Hospital for specialist care.

A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service said she suffered ‘nasty’ injuries to her shoulder, side and thigh and was in a serious condition.

DI Conrad Tapp, from Lancashire Police, said the dog, called Bruce, was killed after its owners relinquished ownership.

It was taken to a vets in Oswaldtwistle where it was put down.

DI Tapp said the victim had been walking her own dog when she was attacked, suffering bites to all four limbs that cut to the bone.

He said: “It appears this lady’s neighbours have been out repairing or cleaning a fence and they thought the dog was locked away. It wasn’t.”