Widnes dog attack: Elayne Stanley named as victim

A woman has died after she was attacked by two dogs, police have said.

Neighbours said mum-of-three Elayne Stanley, 44, was mauled at the house in Graham Road, Widnes, on Tuesday evening.

They reported hearing screams from the terrace house before police arrived to find Ms Stanley seriously injured.

Cheshire Police said one of the dogs had to be destroyed while the other had been captured and taken to a secure kennel. No arrests have been made.

Officers made repeated attempts to capture both animals, the force said.

Neighbour Marie Airey said she "heard screaming" at the time of the attack.

She heard panicked shouting, she said, and the sound of someone kicking a door.

"Then they put the dogs out the back and... all hell broke loose," she said.

Others told the BBC that one neighbour had attempted, unsuccessfully, to stop the attack by throwing bricks at the dogs.

Ms Airey said another resident had attempted to resuscitate Ms Stanley, said to be a mother to three girls, including twins.

Dorothy Woodward, who also lives on the road, described Ms Stanley as "a good woman... a lovely lady".

She said she "had a little cry" when it became apparent paramedics would be unable to save her.

Cheshire Police has not confirmed the breed of either dog, but said it believed both lived at the address.

Det Insp Ian Whiley said: "We understand people in the community will be concerned... but I would like to reassure residents that we are doing all that we can to establish the full circumstances of the incident."

The victim's next of kin have been informed, police said.