Nine-month-old baby killed in dog attack

Police were called to a property on Crossway, Rogiet, on Sunday evening

A nine-month-old baby has been killed in a dog attack in south-east Wales.

Officers and paramedics attended a property on Crossway in Rogiet, near Caldicot, Monmouthshire, at about 18:00 GMT on Sunday.

The dog was seized and removed from the address, according to Gwent Police, with officers working to establish the breed of the animal.

Ch Supt John Davies said: "Officers are on scene and will be making further inquiries as the investigation progresses." No arrests have been made.

Monmouthshire MP Catherine Fookes said: "I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic dog attack that occurred in Rogiet yesterday evening.

"My thoughts are with the loved ones of the nine-month-old child who lost their life.

Residents said they saw police cars and ambulances on the residential street late yesterday evening, with the "quiet community" finding it difficult to come to terms with the "horrendous" events of Sunday night.

Rogiet county councillor Peter Strong described the village as being in mourning, but vowed residents would "stand together".

"It's a deep and profound sense of shock that such a thing should happen in amidst our quiet community," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"A baby is a deep source of joy and love, and to lose a baby in these circumstances is just awful."

Mr Strong appealed to local people to "stay calm - [and] to give the family the space they need to grieve in peace".

Shocked residents have spoken of their "heartbreak" over the death of a baby on Sunday

Rogiet Community Junction, a local community shop and café, has said its doors are open to anyone who needs support.

Trustee Katherine Close called it a "safe space to come and talk" and promised a "shoulder to cry on" for shocked or distressed residents.

"I feel for the family - for what they are going through - for the whole street really, because we are a close-knit community, and it will knock them for six."

Ms Close said she and other community members would be at the café "just to try and understand, I suppose - and support those who need it, and give them that strength really".

"We've had a lot of mums and babies come through the café over the years," she added.

"It's just heartbreaking."

Flowers have been laid outside the house

Craig Owen, who lives in a neighbouring property, said: "We don't really see [the family] much, to be honest - they were just renovating for a time.

"It's just awful."

Another Rogiet resident Rose Baxter-Jones said: "We're a really tiny village and a really tight-knit community. I think we all really feel it deeply."

"I know we're all feeling absolutely devastated, and really grieving with the family.

"I'm sending them so much love and all of our sympathies at this just horrendous, horrendous time.

"I think this will be one of those things that the community feels for a very long time."

Jane Waters-Davies added: "You kind of play it through your head, the horror of that scenario.

"It's so tragic. What that poor family must be going through is just horrendous.

"So many families have pets. You trust them because you know them - you always think it's never going to happen."

Additional reporting by Paul Pigott and James McCarthy