Ella was left with permanent scarring after the attack (Image: BBC)

       A girl needed hospital treatment for six years after being mauled by five XL bullies when she was a toddler, says her aunt who fought off the dogs during the attack.

       Sandra Mckevitt, 63, was enjoying a picnic in the back garden of her home in Dingle, Liverpool, with her two-year-old niece Ella and her two young cousins in May 2016, when the hounds came crashing through the fence.

       She said: "I remember it was one of those hot days. We had baked some cakes and they were playing and running around.

       "We could hear the dogs next door but we didn't really think anything of it. Ella was patting them on the head the day before and they were lovely dogs."

       Ms Mckevitt added she will never forget the eyes of one of the dogs as it appeared through the side of the fence.

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       She told Ella's cousins, who were standing by the back door, to run inside the house and seconds later the five XL bullies went straight for the tot.

       Ms Mckevitt told the Liverpool Echo: "Ella started screaming. They were circling us and one at a time going for her and me. It was literally one at a time. It was like their instincts took over.

       "At one point it was tug of war with a baby. They had hold of her by her cheek and I was pulling her legs to get them off her."

       She fell down at one point in the attack, but forced herself up to help Ella, making sure the dogs couldn't bite her in the neck.

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       Ella's hospital treatment only ended last year (Image: BBC)

       The owner of the dogs leapt in and started distracting the five XL bullies and puppies which had come rushing through the fence. It allowed Ms Mckevitt enough time to scoop Ella up and rush into the house.

       First responders arrived soon after and Ella was airlifted to Aintree Hospital where she underwent a nine-hour surgery.

       Ms Mckevitt said: "Her face just didn’t look anything like her - swollen, stitches everywhere, your heart just broke. Her cheek was hanging off. You could see her scalp. There were cuts near her eye.

       "She was just bleeding everywhere. She had a white top on and it was red."

       Eighteen XL bullies were found in the neighbour's house, four of which were destroyed by police. But Ella burst into tears when she heard they had been killed as she thought the dogs were destroyed because of her.

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       An archive image of an American XL bully (Image: Getty)

       Ms Mckevitt said: "She just wanted to be in darkness after the attack. She and her cousins were scared of animals they couldn't communicate with, even flies."

       A spate of recent XL bully attacks prompted the Government to announce a ban on the breed, although owners of such dogs will not face a cull of their pets.

       Downing Street said measures will be introduced to cover the "existing population" of the dogs in response to concerns they will still be allowed on the streets once a ban on new owners comes in.

       The Government's chief vet has suggested existing owners could face a requirement to neuter their dogs and muzzle them in public.

       Now age nine, Ella was discharged from Alder Hey Children's Hospital last year after completing her treatment. She has overcome her fear of animals and now owns a French Bulldog called Ralphie.

       Her aunt said: "Thankfully, she doesn't remember the attack, but she says she feels sorry for me for remembering it and witnessing it. It's just the type of kid she is. She's beautiful."

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