Five men tried to drag a dog away from a 13-year-old boy as its jaws locked tight on his leg.

Now the youngster has had plastic surgery to the wound, which went right through to the muscle.

The teenager had been playing football with pals before the attack at the Garrison Sports Ground in Marlborough Road, Gillingham on Wednesday.

The boy was sat on the ground when five men came onto the field at about 3.40pm and let a dog off its lead.

It sank its jaws deep into its leg, forcing the men to drag the dog off. They then ran off in the direction of the Great Lines War Memorial in Chatham.

Surgeons at East Grinstead Hospital operated on the boy's injury, described as a severe bite wound, yesterday.

PC Sally Haughton said: "The dog is described as being white with black spots all over it.

"It's thought that it may have been a Staffordshire bull terrier. We are very keen to hear from anyone who may have been in the area on Wednesday and seen five men with a dog that fits this description, as we would like to speak to them about this incident.

"The teenager has obviously been left very upset by the injuries that this dog has caused so we need to track down the owner of the animal as soon as possible. Anyone with information should contact police immediately."

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information should contact officers at Medway police station on 01634 792521 quoting crime reference number DY/020326/10. Alternatively call CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.