A man has been allegedly bitten on the ear by a dog in a popular Co Down forest.

He needed stitches in his left ear after stepping in to try to save his grandmother's dog from the attention of another dog being walked in Castlewellan Forest Park.

Now the injured man says he has reported the incident to the police and is seeking help to find the owner of the dog involved in the incident.

The Co Down man was walking his grandmother's pet in the forest on Sunday afternoon when he met a woman walking a black and white mongrel and another dog.

He explained: "I was walking through Castlewellan Forest Park with my nan's dog. This woman's dogs came over and started to attack us. She had no control over them as they were off lead."

He said he was injured as he stepped in to try to separate the dogs.

He said: "I ended up getting my ear severely bitten to the point that I have to go to A&E to get three stitches to put my ear back together."

The injured man was treated at Daisy Hill Hospital for an injury to his ear and received three stitches.

A spokeswoman for the PSNI said: "Police received a report at approximately 1:50pm on Saturday 11th November of an incident in Castlewellan Forest Park. It was reported a man was bitten by a dog and he suffered an ear injury. This is a matter for the Council’s dog warden."

The Forest Park is looked after by the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the Forestry Commission.

The council website states: If a dog attacks either a human or livestock in the area, the dog warden will and meet with the complainant, record details of the alleged attack, interview other witnesses and gather information in order to identify the owner of the dog. Where possible the Officer will subsequently interview the dog owner, record statements and view the dog in question. Once all relevant information has been obtained, the Council will determine an appropriate course of action.