A five-year-old girl has been left with severe facial injuries after being attacked by a dog.

Courtney Bradshaw was mauled by the bull terrier cross as she played in a friend’s bedroom on Saturday (June 18).

She was left with deep cuts and lacerations to her face, head and back.

One police officer described her injuries as the worst thing he had ever seen.

Courtney, of Charter Street, Accrington, underwent an emergency seven hour operation on Saturday at Royal Blackburn Hospital and is expected to need further plastic surgery.

Courtney and her two-year-old sister Mia were playing at a house on Charter Street just yards from their home when the attack took place.

PC Anthony Blezard, 33, was the first officer on the scene.

He said: "It was horrendous. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my police service. She had some pretty serious gashes on her head, face and back.

"The ambulance was already there as I arrived, they were carrying her out all bandaged up. There was a lot of blood. I stayed with her while she was in A and E.

"She’s been through a hell of a lot, but she was up chatting to me when I went up to take her a present and a card. She’s a really brave girl and everyone’s really proud of her. Her mum says she’s back to her cheeky self."

Mum Claire Bradshaw, 29, said: "She was only gone for five minutes and was at my friend’s house with Mia.

"She just said to me ‘Mummy, I went to cuddle the doggy and it started biting me’."

Sergeant Steve Hilton said: "We got called to an address by the paramedics at 11.30am on Saturday morning. The first officer on the scene reported that a young girl was in the back of the ambulance with quite serious facial injuries and she was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

"She had deep lacerations to her head and the right side of her face near her eye, with the skin ripped down.

"She had a nasty split ear, with small puncture wounds. She’s badly scarred but she’s got a lot of growing to do yet."

After the dog had attacked Courtney, the two males in the house pushed it into the upstairs toilet until the police arrived.

Sergeant Hilton said: "Although it wasn’t overly aggressive it was certainly a little bit jumpy.

"The owners of the house were very shook up and they’ve sent the dog over to us. The police had the dog checked and it wasn’t a dangerous breed."

Police said the dog, Scratch, was a cross between a bull terrier and a bull mastiff and belonged to Janine Thompson. The dog has since been destroyed.

Courtney was discharged from Royal Blackburn Hospital on Tuesday (June 22) and she is said to be doing well.

Police have rallied round to organise days out for Courtney at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Accrington Superbowl, who have donated free passes.