THE mum of a baby who was mauled to death by a dog in Blackburn said she ‘wants the world to know how much she loved her’.

Little Ava-Jayne Corless, affectionately nicknamed Twinkle by her family, was killed on Monday night after being savaged by an illegal pit bull terrier in a house in Emily Street.

Her mother Chloe King, 20, and her boyfriend Lee Wright, 26, were downstairs at the time of the incident.

They were both arrested on suspicion of child neglect and manslaughter and have since been released on bail.

In a statement released through Lancashire Police, Chloe revealed that she almost died while pregnant with 11-month-old Ava-Jayne.

The 20-year-old said: “As her mother, I just want the world to know how much I love her, miss her and truly cherished every moment with my little girl.

“I carried her for nine months, almost lost my life bringing her into the world and would do anything to have her back.

“I love you Twinkle, you are my world. We ask now that we are left to grieve for our daughter.”

Further tributes were also released from Ava-Jayne’s father, Dean Corless, and her maternal grandmother, Claire King.

Dean said: “I just want to say what a wonderful and amazing mum Chloe is. Ava-Jayne could not have had anyone better. They are both the apple of my eye. Sleep tight Twinkle.”

Claire said: “Our Twinkle Ava-Jayne is our absolute world and right now we need to grieve and remember her short life for the fun, amazing memories that we made.

“She is the most beautiful, happy cheeky little girl there ever was and was the light in all of our lives. We now ask that people leave us be while we grieve.”

Post-mortem examination results showed Ava-Jayne died from multiple injuries.