A three-year-old boy has died in a suspected dog attack in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Police were called by paramedics after the child was injured in the incident on Carr Lane, Milnrow, just after 1pm on Sunday.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital but died from his wounds.

Detective Superintendent Jamie Daniels, of GMP’s Public Protection and Serious Crime Division, said: “This is a tragic, devastating incident and our thoughts are with the family at this horrendous time.

“We are investigating the incident and previous incidents involving dogs at this address.

“While our enquiries to find out what happened will be thorough and are very much in their infancy, we suspect that this little boy has, sadly, succumbed to injuries received as a result of a dog attack.

“I understand this is an extremely distressing incident for all concerned and this news will rock the local community.

“I can only assure everyone that we will work relentlessly to establish the full circumstances that led to this tragedy and while we retain an open mind, this is now being dealt with as a criminal investigation.

“There will be a significant police presence in the area – we will be there to carry out an investigation and address any concerns residents may have.”