A woman has suffered four puncture wounds after she and her dog were attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who was "dangerously out of control" in Amesbury.

Salisbury magistrates heard that on January 24 Allan Brindley was walking his dog, Crawford, in Lords Walk.

But when they met a fellow dog walker, the tan and white Staffy began to bark before attacking her chocolate cocker spaniel Bailey.

Mr Brindley, 70, of Devereux Road in Amesbury "made no attempt to pull the dog away at that point," prosecutor Rachel Bailey told the court.

When Bailey's owner intervened to separate the dogs, standing between them, she was bitten inside her thigh.

She suffered "severe" bruising and four puncture wounds and had to seek medical treatment as a result.

"[Crawford] was not on a lead, had the dog been on a lead Mr Brindley would have been able to control his dog better or prevent this from happening," the prosecutor said, adding that the incident suggested the dog was "aggressive and bad tempered".

The court also heard that the victim didn't return to that location for a week for fear of bumping into Mr Brindley and his dog and that she now "panics" when she sees a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Mr Brindley pleaded guilty to the offence, namely being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.

Defending, Christopher Pix said Mr Brindley suffers from epilepsy due to depression and that his dog had had "a positive influence on his mental health".

"He expressed his sincere apology to the injured party, he very much regrets the incident and has said so," he added.

Mr Pix also said Mr Brindley pulled his dog from the harness "as soon as he was able to" and that the whole incident, in which the victim "unwisely put herself between the dogs", "took a matter of 30 seconds".

Due to the absence of previous complaints or incidents related to the dog, Mr Brindley was ordered to pay £250 compensation to the victim.

An order has been made for the dog to be muzzled in all public places.