A PUB landlord today relived his horror after being attacked in the street by two dogs while trying to make sure no-one was injured in a fire.

John Barnes, 34, landlord at the Havelock Inn, Havelock Street, Blackburn, was bitten in the leg and stomach in East Lancashire's second dog attack in two weeks.

He was treated at Blackburn Infirmary for muscle damage, cuts and bruising after the attack, last Friday.

The incident happened as he went to investigate flames, which appeared to be coming from industrial units at the other end of Havelock Street from the pub.

Mr Barnes, who regularly works out, was bitten on the stomach by the first dog, which he said looked like a rottweiler, and the second attacked his leg.

He said a child would have been knocked to the floor by the first bite and "would have been killed".

Mr Barnes said: "I had gone outside to close the beer garden towards the end of the night and I saw the flames, so I walked up the street.

"The dogs just went for me and I shouted three times to get someone to get them off. Afterwards I heard someone say they were guard dogs and had only been doing their job.

"I was in so much pain I forgot all about the flames and I walked back to the pub in shock.

"I was tempted just to let it go but I can't.

"Children often play near the pub, especially now it's summer and I couldn't have it on my conscience if anything happened to them.

"That attack would have killed a child and I have been left with muscle damage to my belly and a wound on my leg."

Mr Barnes' wife Trisha said: "He was walking down to make sure no-one was hurt,

"When he came back bleeding. It was a shocking attack."

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "The incident has been reported to us and we are investigating."

The flames Mr Barnes had seen was in a lorry on fire outside an industrial unit on Hamilton Street.