A dog which attacked and seriously injured a Hampshire woman died after it was tasered by police, a force spokeswoman confirmed.

The 30-year-old woman was walking the American bulldog on behalf of its owner in Marine Parade, Lee-on-the-Solent, when it turned on her.

Police were alerted and found that the woman had been seriously injured and the dog had run off.

A police dog handler and the Hampshire police force support unit were scrambled and used dog poles and a taser to catch the dog. As they were taking it to a vet, the animal died.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: “The woman was very seriously injured and required treatment from two paramedic units and a BASICS doctor at the scene. They worked on her for 45 minutes to stabilise her before she was transferred to Southampton General Hospital for emergency surgery. She sustained open fractures to her left arm and multiple puncture wounds.

“The woman has been transferred to Salisbury Hospital and is no longer in intensive care. The dog, believed to be an American bulldog – not a banned dangerous breed in the UK – ran off after the attack on Thursday night.

“The dog was still acting aggressively and officers used dog poles and a taser to subdue it, with the intention of capturing it and taking it to a vet.”