Dog impounded after child bitten

The boy was flown by helicopter and plane to Wellington this morning. Photo / Supplied

A dog has been impounded after a five-year-old boy was left with serious facial injuries.

This morning the boy was flown from Wairoa Hospital to Hutt Hospital after being bitten by a dog.

The injured boy had been brought into Wairoa Hospital's emergency department about 10.30pm last night.

An ambulance spokesman said officers were not immediately called when the boy was hurt.

The Lowe Corporation Hawke's Bay Rescue helicopter picked up the boy at 2am and flew him to Napier Airport where he was transferred to plane and flown to Hutt Hospital for futher treatment, a rescue helicopter spokesperson said.

A Hutt Hospital spokesman said the boy was now in a stable condition.

A Wairoa District Council spokesman said an unregistered American Pitbull Terrior Cross had been impounded today.

The dog had been classed as menacing. Dogs with this classification have to be contained in a yard, and muzzled on a lead if they were in public.

The council spokesman said an investigation was now underway into the attack. He was unsure if any action had been taken relating to the dogs owners.

As of September there were around 83 dogs classed as menacing in Wairoa district.