TWO young brothers have been left terrified of dogs after a German Shepherd burst into their home after escaping from a neighbour's house.

Dad Imran Saddiqe, of Laburnum Road, Little Harwood, Blackburn, kept the dog at bay while his sons Aman, six, and Umar, three, stood on the back of the sofa frozen with fear.

Since the attack, more than a month ago, Mr Saddiqe has made peace with his neighbour Lynn Simpson, 51. She was fined £200 and ordered to pay £249 kennel fees, and £60 costs, by the town's magistrates after her six-year-old dog, Delta, got loose at the end of March.

An apology has been made by her family for the behaviour of the dog, said to have been let free by another neighbour without their knowledge.

But Mr Saddiqe has still bolstered security at his home, including putting up new fencing so that no other dogs can terrorise his family. He even consi-dered installing CCTV.

Now the young father is appealing for other dog owners in the area to take extra care of their pets.

Mr Saddiqe said: "My children still say to me Is that doggie still there daddy? because they can hear it barking. They are still scared of every dog which walks past.

"And people are always going onto the field nearby, letting their dogs run around free without leads. They should be more careful."

Mr Saddiqe, 33, shouted and waved his arms while the dog stared intently at the youngsters.

Eventually the animal walked away, growling.

Later the dog, which had also frightened a postman, workmen and other neigbourhood chil-dren, had to be subdued by police with pepper spray.

Following the court case the dog was returned to the neighbour. She told Blackburn magistrates she believed the animal was let out as a joke by a neighbour who knew about the problems she had keeping it in her back yard.