A HUNT has been launched for a dog which savaged a pet after jumping over a pram containing young twins.

Police in Burnley and the father of the nine-week-old twins appealed for help in finding the pit-bull type dog before it strikes again.

Father of the youngsters Anthony Graham said: "I thought it was going for my young twins."

Mr Graham was forced to physically rip the terrier from the neck of Labrador-sized pet, called Tiny, while his wife Janet raced away from the dog with their children.

The dog, which was with two Asian men in the Eastern Avenue area of Burnley, started running towards Mr Graham and his wife as soon as it saw them.

The couple were going to a garage to get some milk at 8.30pm on Saturday.

Mr Graham said the dog jumped over the pram containing children, Lewis and Abigail, before clamping its jaws into Tiny's neck.

After Mr Graham managed to get the dog off Tiny, by wrapping a lead around the pit bull's neck so it couldn't breathe, it ran off, along with the two men.

Tiny spent Saturday night on a drip at a local vet's before undergoing surgery yesterday. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Today Mr Graham said: "That dog needs to be caught. I really thought it was going for the twins.

"It hurled itself over the front of the pram and lodged its teeth in Tiny's neck.

"I told my wife to move the pram out of the way while I tried to get the dog off Tiny. It was only when I wrapped Tiny's lead around its neck so it couldn't breathe that it let go and ran off.

"Tiny is a wonderful pet, we have had him for 11 years and I am glad he was there because I don't who it would have gone for otherwise."

Mr Graham added: "Janet won't go out with the pram and the dog any more. She says she wouldn't have been able to deal with what happened last night if it happened while she was on her own.

"I can't believe the two men didn't come to help. I would have done.

"We rang the police because I thought it may hurt a child in future."

A spokesman for Burnley Police said: "We are appealing for information to track down the dogs and its owners.

"It appears the family were lucky that it did not attack them. It is important we find this dog."