Mother condemns Nottinghamshire Police for lack of action after her daughter was bitten in the face by a dog near their house in Sydney Gardens, Newark

A mother has accused police of a lack of action after her six-year-old daughter was bitten on the face by a dog.

Carla Louise Ward contacted Nottinghamshire Police four weeks ago when her daughter Alliyah was bitten by a dog near their front door at Sydney Gardens, Newark.

The mother claims she was then ignored and discarded by the police who, she said, went to the dog’s owner to collect a statement longer before taking one from her and her child.

Carla said of the incident: “I told her to play outside in front of the kitchen window while I was getting the washing out of the washing machine.

“Minutes later I heard a scream from my daughter who comes running into the house screaming – the dog bit me, mummy, the dog bit me.”

Alliyah had a red and swollen bruise on her face.

Carla said she was advised she would be contacted by the police within 24 hours of her first call, however, she said there was no contact until she called again looking for answers.

Three weeks later the police contacted the family as they wanted a statement from both mother and daughter.

The mother said: “Nottinghamshire police you’re a disgrace. On week four they called me to apologise saying ‘I’m so sorry Calra this shouldn’t have happened, I can get my supervisor to call you on the other officers' behalf’.

“This is disgusting, four whole weeks I have been waiting to hear back from the police after a dog bit my six-year-old daughter.”

The police have now obtained statements from the mother and daughter and continue to investigate what happened.

Sergeant Adam Wells, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into this incident, we visited the victim and her mother on Thursday, June 22, 2023 and obtained their statements.

“We are also actively pursuing other lines of inquiry, including checking CCTV and doorbell camera footage, as we continue with our work to understand the full circumstances.

“This would have been a distressing incident for the young child involved and, while she only sustained minor injuries, I hope she goes on to make a full recovery.”

The police urge anyone with information about the incident to contact Nottinghamshire Police as soon as possible on 101 quoting reference 23000324602.