A dad today spoke of his horror as he saw his daughter's beloved pet cat being "torn to pieces" by a killer dog just metres away from a primary school.

Billy Allison, 45, said he now feared the Staffordshire bull terrier would attack a pupil at St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Accrington, after getting a taste for blood.

Mr Allison witnessed the attack outside his home on Cartmel Avenue just before 2.30pm on Wednesday.

The dog savaged Smudge, the family pet, in his front garden. Less than an hour later the road would have been full of children on their way home from school.

St Peter's is located at the bottom of Cartmel Avenue, which is a cul-de-sac.

He said: "There's a lot of kids that come up and down this road each day. It could easily have been a child the dog went for.

"It could have been a lot worse if any children were in the road."

Mr Allison said that he was in his front room when he heard a commotion outside his front door. He rushed out to see the dog "savaging" Smudge.

On the arrival of Mr Allison, the five-year-old cat managed to escape the grip of the dog before stumbling away and dying.

He added: "The dog's owner just stood there watching. There was no lead and she was doing nothing to stop it.

"There was a young lad with her and all he said was 'cats have nine lives don't they?'

"They didn't even apologise."

The cat was daughter Billie-Jo's pet. The 16-year-old said: "Smudge wasn't just a cat, she was my best friend and a part of the family.

"I'm still in shock. It was horrible, she was just ripped to shreds and didn't have a chance against that evil dog."

Mr Allison lives with partner Kathryn Birtswell, 32, who said: "It is very worrying. Next it could be a child. That dog has got a taste for blood now."

Sgt Mark Porter said the incident was not being investigated as a person had not been injured but he added if it was believed the dog was a danger to people, it would be.