A police dog attacked and seriously injured a man in Earlsfield earlier this month.

The attack happened following a police pursuit of a suspect through the Wandsworth area on Friday, April 12, which was reported by the Wandsworth Times on that date.

The pursuit resulted in the arrest of a 21-year-old man known as "Suspect A" on a number of offences including burglary, possession with intent to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving.

In the wake of the pursuit, the Wandsworth Times received reports that a bystander tending his nearby allotment had been attacked by a dog from a Metropolitan Police Dog Unit dispatched to search the vicinity.

Responding to a request for comment, a Met Police spokesperson confirmed that a police dog from the force had attacked a resident in the area on April 12.

The Met Police spokesperson said: "After arresting Suspect A, the Met’s Police Dog Unit carried out a search of the area as part of enquiries into the investigation.

"During this search, a police dog bit a member of the public on the leg in Steerforth Street, SW18."

The Met Police statement provided further details of the dog attack, highlighting how the victim was in his 80s and had been taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) with "possibly life-changing" injuries as a result of the dog's attack.

The police added that they were continuing to investigate the incident at present.

The Met Police said: "The London Ambulance Service attended and took the man, aged in his 80s, to hospital. His injuries are not-life threatening but are possibly life-changing.

"As is routine, the incident has been referred to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards. Enquiries continue."

LAS confirmed they had attended the victim of the attack at the scene before taking him to hospital.

A spokesperson for LAS said: "We were called at 4:44pm on Friday 12 April to reports of an incident on Steerforth Street, Earlsfield.

"We sent an ambulance crew to the scene and took a person to hospital."