NEIGHBOURS of a young girl who was mauled to death by a dog have told how they heard her mum's horrifying screams.
Little Alice Stones, four, was attacked in her back garden in Milton Keynes shortly after 5pm yesterday before cops gunned down the killer hound.
Tragically the youngster was pronounced dead at the property on Broadlands, in the Netherfield area of the town.
Now residents have told of the horrifying moment they realised she had died.
One neighbour told The Sun: “We heard desperate screams last night. I heard ‘she’s dead! She’s dead!
“It sounded like Louise shouting. They were piercing screams.
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“They’ll stay with me forever. It was a nightmare. I’m heartbroken. They will haunt me.
“It’s horrendous. Alice goes to school with my children. It’s so upsetting.
“The police rushed here very quickly. I could not believe it.
“There is a dog there, it’s a big brown dog. I’ve only seen it at the house.”
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When police arrived they evacuated neighbours due to fears the hound could escape.
Video taken at the scene shows a police officer asking locals to move away from the home.
He warns residents: "If this dog gets out, somebody is going to get hurt."
Residents were warned they may hear a gunshot.
It is believed the dog was cornered by armed cops and was gunned down.
It is thought the family had only owned the dog for six weeks.
One man who lives nearby the family said he arrived back at his home around 5pm when police ordered him to not leave.
He said: “When I tried to go look at my back garden even, I got told to go back inside. I was basically on lockdown.
“About an hour later two armed police officers came knocking on my door.
“They requested if they could come into the property to ascertain what the property looked like upstairs and downstairs so they could get an idea of what next door would look like.
He added: “About five or 10 minutes later, between 6pm and 6.30pm, I had a knock on the door saying it was best if I leave the house.
“I said I could go to a friend’s house that lives down the road. The police gave me an escort as the road was blocked off.”
Describing the family, he said: “She was a neighbour but I didn’t know her very well. I saw her once in a blue moon.
“The dad, I believe, is an older gentleman – very polite.
“They had the dog about six weeks, might be longer, maybe six to eight weeks.”
Superintendent Matt Bullivant said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident, in which we believe that a child has been killed after being attacked by a dog.
“Clearly, we are in the very early stages of an investigation, and it would be wrong and unhelpful to speculate as to the exact circumstances of this incident at this point.
“However, in order to ensure public safety, a decision was made earlier this evening to destroy the dog involved, and this has been done humanely.
“I understand how much of an impact this will have on the community and on the wider public, and people can expect to see a large police presence in the area this evening and beyond while our investigation continues.
“I would like to reassure people that there is no reason to believe there is any danger to the wider public at this time.
“Anyone with concerns should feel free to approach our officers and ask questions, but I urge people not to speculate about the circumstances, especially on social media platforms.
“I also understand that this case is likely to attract attention from the media. With this in mind I would like to ask that the privacy of the family involved is respected at this very difficult time. It is impossible to imagine what they must be going through at the moment.
“We will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so.”
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It comes after Natasha Johnston was mauled to death by an out of control dog on January 12.
The 28-year-old was attacked while walking a number of dogs in leafy Caterham, Surrey.
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