A runaway husky was hunted down by dog wardens after savaging a pensioner.

The attack happened yesterday near the Hilltop Tea Kiosk in Dyke Road Avenue, Brighton, at about 10.30am.

The animal was on the loose near the kiosk when it jumped up and bit the man's hand and face as he tried, with several other men, to catch it.

A worker at the kiosk, who did not wish to be named, said: "The dog ran across the road and I believe when the gentleman tried to pick it up, the dog jumped up and bit him on his face and hand.

"He was very shaken up and there was blood everywhere."

The man was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital with injuries to his face.

Police arrived at the scene and the dog was taken by the council.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said the husky was seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act but would not give any further details.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: "We transported the dog to some kennels, where it is being held pending the police investigation "Our animal welfare people are very clear the dog is now in the care of the police and not them."

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks involving dogs across Sussex.

Wildlife experts have pleaded with owners to ensure their pets are under control in public.

Earlier this month, police called in an animal ambulance team after a greyhound set upon a deer in Stanmer Park, Brighton.

It was the second time in a week they had been called to a dog attack in the city.

In January, a dead sheep spray-painted with the words "dogs on leads, please"

was left on farmland in Woodingdean, Brighton.

It is believed a farmer painted the sheep after becoming frustrated with attacks on his livestock.

Dogs savage almost one child a week in Sussex, according to the latest figures.

There have been 191 attacks in the past five years, sparking calls for more effective legislation on dangerous dogs.

Two-year-old Harvey Lawrence had to have emergency surgery after he was attacked at his grandmother's home in Tudor Close, Middleton, near Bognor, in September last year.

Other children were attacked outside supermarkets, on roads, in parks, private gardens, caravan sites, fields, beaches, homes and, on two occasions, at schools.