A WOMAN was bitten by an off-lead dog on the seafront, sparking a police investigation. 

A woman, in her 40s, sustained multiple injuries to her legs after being attacked by a dog in the area between Chalkwell and Westcliff beaches. 

Dogs are banned on the beach, and the incident has sparked fury as it took place close to the small child pool area on the beach. 

According to social media, the woman was with her kids on the beach when an off-lead dog ran at the family, with the woman jumping in front of her children to protect them. 

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Dogs are banned from all Southend beaches during the summer months between May 1 and September 30.

Martin Terry, councillor responsible for public protection, said the incident - which took place on Saturday at around 9.30am - illustrated why Southend Council has been so hesitant on allowing dogs on beaches. 

He said: “This is really frightening.

“Firstly, I hope the woman is OK. It kind of justifies Southend Council’s recent hesitancy over relaxing dog bans on the beaches, as this is also not the first incident, we have had a child attacked on one of our beaches previously too.

“Whilst I have every sympathy for dog owners that want them to be allowed on beaches, we have to get the balance right, because this is an exact example of what can happen.

“We have all these calls for people to have dogs on the beaches, but we are nervous about it and this recent occurrence only underscores our concerns.”

He added: “It is not normally the dogs, it is the owners, and some people let them off their leads, like in this situation, in inappropriate circumstances.

“We have many young children, disabled people, and adults using our beaches. People lobbying for dogs on beaches in Southend need to realise the challenge this presents.”

On the incident, a spokesman for Essex Police added: “We received a call shortly before 9.40am on Saturday  to reports a woman had been bitten by a dog.

“The woman, who is in her 40s, reported sustaining injuries to her leg.

“The dog, one of two, has been described as a bullmastiff-type.

“If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.

“Please quote the crime reference number: 42/200448/22.”