An 11-month girl is the latest child to be mauled to death by a dog.

Ava-Jayne Corless was in bed at a house in Blackburn, Lancashire, on Monday when she was attacked by what police described as an American pitbull-type dog.

The girl’s mother, Chloe King, 20, and her partner, Lee Wright, 26, were held on suspicion of manslaughter before being released on bail pending further enquiries. The dog has been destroyed.

Dog laws are due to be strengthened later this year after a string of attacks on children. Today a spokesman for the Communication Workers Union, which represents postal workers, said the incident “demonstrates the out of control situation that we have in the UK”.

How big is the risk from dangerous dogs and what is being done about it?

How common are dog attacks?

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), which records hospital admissions, gave us the latest statistics for dog biting and mauling in England.

There were 6,302 hospital admissions in 2012/13, which is slightly down on the previous financial year but represents an increase of 37 per cent since 2007/08.

[Update: HSCIC tell us the provisional figures for 2012/13 have now been updated and the final figure is 6,317 not 6,302.]

There is a strong regional bias in the figures. Strategic health authorities in north east England handled the most cases, followed by authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Young children are most likely to be the victims. In fact, your risk profile falls fairly steadily with age. Young men are more likely to be attacked by dogs than young women.

NHS Choices says this: “Dog bites are most common in young children, particularly boys aged five to nine.

“It is estimated that around half of all children will be bitten by a dog at some point during their life, usually by either a family dog or a dog that belongs to a friend or neighbour.

“Bites from stray dogs are rarer as they tend to be wary of humans and usually keep their distance.

“However, it is difficult to estimate exactly how common animal bites are in England, as many people do not seek medical treatment or advice for minor bites.

“Dog bites are the most common form of bites and reports of serious dog attacks resulting in fatalities, usually involving young children, receive a lot of media coverage. However, such cases are very rare in England.”

What about deaths?

According to the Office for National Statistics, 23 deaths following dog attacks were registered in England and Wales from 2006 to 2012, but data from 2007 appears to be missing.

To these we need to add the deaths of four-year-old Lexi Branson, Clifford Clarke, 79, Jade Anderson, 14, last year, and that of Ava-Jayne this week.

That makes at least 27 deaths from 2006 – between two and six deaths annually with an average of just under four a year.

The incompleteness of ONS data means we have to cross-check with press reports to find out more details. It appears that at least eight of the victims were aged under five.

How many were killed by banned dogs?

The law as it stands bans ownership four breeds of dog outright: the pitbull terrier (pictured), the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro.

According to media reports, only two of those 27 repor deaths involving illegal dogs – both pitbull-types. American bulldogs, Rottweilers and various breeds of mastiff were responsible for the most fatalities.

How is the law changing?

Victims’ families have been campaigning for tougher laws for years.

Current legislation means dog owners have been immune from prosecution if they attack people on private property. This means attacks on children in their homes or on, say, postmen who get mauled while delivering letters have often gone unpunished.

The draft Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill was published in May last year and ought to close this loophole if passed into law.

The law on “banned” dogs will remain slightly equivocal in that dogs on the list are not automatically taken away and destroyed.

Police or dog wardens may need a court order to take the dog away if it is not acting dangerously, then an expert makes a judgement on whether the animal is a banned breed.

Even if the dog is ruled to be a pit bull or one of the other proscribed breeds, owners can apply for it to be put on the Index of Exempted Dogs.

They have to pay for for ID tattoos and microchips, agree to keep it muzzled in public and take out insurance against the dog injuring someone.

But if you can convince a court your “banned” dog is not dangerous, you might be able to keep it.

The new draft bill “will make clear the court’s right to take into account the character of the owner as they take action to tackle irresponsible ownership”.