SEVEN schoolchildren were savaged by two dogs in a frenzied attack last night.

The youngsters had been playing football on fields near Hayward School, off Lever Edge Lane, Morris Green, when their nightmare began.

As they enjoyed a kick-about the two dogs - both Staffordshire bull terriers crossed with another breed - ran onto the grass and launched themselves at the children.

Brother and sister Craig and Kelly Rearden, of Lever Edge Lane, had lumps of flesh ripped away and two others received multiple bite wounds to their legs and arms.

Craig, aged nine, had flesh pulled from his groin while Kelly, aged 12, was left with a gaping wound in her arm. Both were kept in the Royal Bolton Hospital overnight for further treatment.

Two others received multiple bite wounds and three more had cuts and scratches to their fingers as they ran to help their playmates.

Rachel Hainey, aged 14, also of Lever Edge Lane, was left with more than 30 puncture wounds on her legs and arm, even though she had been wearing a thick leather bomber jacket and tracksuit bottoms.

She told how the two dogs tugged at both her legs as she desperately tried to escape on a friend's cycle, pulling her off the bike to continue their savage attack. Rachel said: "I was terrified and just kept screaming. They set on Craig first and I went over to help him.

"Then they started on me. There was nothing I could do. We didn't do anything to them, they just ran on to the field and started the attack." Another victim, Kelly Upton, of Shurmer Street, described how she ran to help Rachel after the dogs had pulled her off the bike. Brave Kelly, aged 14, said: "When I got there the dogs were attacking Rachel who was on her back and covering her face to try to protect it. "I started kicking them to try to pull them away and then they started on me."

She was left with 11 bite wounds, the attack only finishing when a teenage boy used a plank of wood to fend the terriers off.

Now the children's angry parents are demanding the animals be destroyed.

Evelyn Upton, mother of Kelly, said: "As one child tried to get away they just went after the other. They're just savage dogs and they need to be destroyed.

"If a human being did this to a child there's no doubt that they would be treated very harshly." The dog's owner, Caroline McLean, of Woodvale Avenue, Morris Green, still did not know of the attack this morning after she had travelled to Blackpool for a day's holiday.

Her daughter Afa, 16, said the dogs - Sally and Ziggy - had bolted to the school fields last night after she had let them out.

Police said the owner and children will be interviewed later today before a decision is made on what action will be taken.

He added: "The people who are currently looking after the dogs have been advised to keep them indoors while the investigation continues." She added: "They're still here and I don't know what's going to happen to them. The police are coming round later this morning.

"They've never done anything like this before. They've never even bitten anyone. I can't say anything else until I speak to my mum."

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