A four-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pet dog in the UK despite her mother's desperate attempts to halt the attack, friends of her family have said.

Neighbours of the victim and her mother, named locally as Lexi and Jodi Hudson, said the family had the dog for only around two months after picking it up from a local rescue centre.

Lexi, described by family friends as a "happy and sweet" girl, died at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre yesterday after being attacked at a flat in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire.

Family friend Paul Ryan told the Daily Mirror that Ms Hudson was "in hysterics" after the attack and kept saying that she had been told the dog was safe around children.

Mr Ryan said: "Apparently it suddenly turned on Lexi for no reason. She was in bed sleeping with her mum and it came in and just went mental.

"It grabbed Lexi and wouldn't let go.

"Jodi was screaming and trying to pull its head away but it wouldn't give in. In the end she had to use a knife to release its jaw. It must have been absolutely terrifying."

Police confirmed that the dog involved died shortly after the attack, which was reported to the emergency services at 12.14pm.

In a statement issued today, Leicestershire Police said: "Investigations are continuing into the circumstances that led to a four-year-old girl being attacked and killed by the family dog.

"Tests are being carried out today to establish the exact breed of the dog but at this stage it is not believed to be a breed listed under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act."