A dog has been destroyed after a savage attack on a pregnant Shetland pony.

The Staffordshire Terrier-type dog dragged the pony through a fence in Oswaldtwistle, leaving it with head injuries.

Police said a group of onlookers tried to intervene and drag the dog away from the pony.

The attack happened in a field behind the Star East chip shop, off the junction of Catlow Hall Street and Fielding Lane, at around 7pm on Thursday, April 20.

The pony was examined by vets and police said the dog was seized and destroyed.

A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “There was a crowd of people who had been there and saw it and they tried to intervene to get the dog off.

“The dog didn’t seem to have an owner with it at the time. The dog has dragged the pony through a fence.

“The owner was later identified and relinquished control of the dog and it has now been put down.”

No arrests have been made.