A THREE-WEEK-OLD baby who died after being bitten by a dog in a North-East house has been named by police as Reggie Young.

Police were called to a report that a baby had been bitten by a dog inside a house on Falkland Road, Sunderland, at 4.15am yesterday.

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said a three-week-old baby boy was taken to hospital where he later died.

The Northern Echo:

A 30-year-old man who was inside the property at the time of the incident was arrested. He was held overnight before being released on bail this morning.

The family dog, a small terrier, has been removed from the address and is likely to be destroyed, police said.

It is currently in kennels and is said to pose no threat to the wider public.

Enquiries are on-going to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Floral tributes have been left at the house.

A relative said the boy's mother returned from a family event in the early hours to find a terrible scene. He wanted to stress that although the baby's mother was out, the youngster had not been left alone.

The man, who did not want to be named, said the dog - said to be a small terrier-type animal - was usually kept outside, in an outhouse, and was never left alone with the children. He described it as a good natured animal.

He said the family was devastated and wanted to know how the attack could have happened.

Superintendent Gillian Mitchell said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the baby at this difficult time.

"We have officers supporting them and will continue to do so throughout our enquiries.

"We recognise this incident is concerning for residents and officers will remain in the area to and offer residents reassurance and answer any questions they may have.

"The family dog was quickly taken from the house and is now in secure kennels.

"Our enquiries will continue to establish the full circumstances of how this happened as clearly there are concerns around the care of the child at the time of this tragic incident."

Anyone who would like to speak with an officer can call police on 101 ext 69191.

Neighbours said they were shocked by what happened and said the mother, who has two other children living with her, had been overjoyed by the baby's recent birth.

One told the BBC: "I know what I feel like and she must be worse. It's such a shock. I can't get over it."