Police officers shoot dog after attack on two people

A dog has been shot dead in Newtownards after it attacked a man and a woman.

Police responded to the incident in the Rathmullan Drive area shortly after 18:30 BST on Thursday.

The two people were given first aid for their injuries at the scene, the ambulance service said they made their own way to hospital following assessment.

Police said: "The dog was destroyed by specially trained officers, due to the risk to the public."

Police said as is normal procedure, the office of the Police Ombudsman have been informed.

DUP councillor Stephen McIlveen told BBC News NI that people in the area had been concerned about the dog's presence previously and had reported it to the relevant authorities.

"Locals are upset that a dog has had to be put down particularly in this way but say the dog should not have been in the area in the first place.

"There has always been a worry that the dog could harm a child and thankfully that has not been the case," he said.

Independent councillor Steven Irvine said: "Given the immediate risk to public safety, a decision was made to put the dog down in a controlled and safe manner to protect the wider community.

"I want to reassure the community that every effort was made to handle the situation as safely as possible."