The ban on XL bullies could lead to more dog attacks, a senior vet has told the BBC. Dave Martin, a welfare advisor to 900 practices in the UK, said attacks in the home could increase if the ban leads to more XLs being kept indoors without stimulation and exercise.

A man prosecuted in relation to a dog which attacked a child in an Enniscorthy housing estate last year was brought briefly before Wexford Circuit Court.

American XL bully dogs are being rehomed in Scotland ahead of a ban on breeding and selling the animals in England and Wales.

Scotland could become the new XL Bully capital due to breeders dumping the unwanted dogs north of the border before the new ban is implemented.