The dog began attacking people on Home Road at around 10pm on Monday evening, Met Police said, leading to four men being taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Witness footage of the incident shows one person throwing a blanket over the dog while another repeatedly hits it with what appears to be a helmet by the side of a car.

Armed officers arrived shortly after, police said, and "took the difficult decision" to shoot the dog.

A Met Police statement, which said the dog was "described as an XL bully", added: "Officers subsequently arrested two people - a 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman - on suspicion of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. Both remain in custody.

"Enquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident."

The police added an examination of the dog will take place to confirm its breed.

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One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told Sky News: "There were four or five police cars and an ambulance.

"Someone was injured quite badly. It was very scary. It made us feel a bit unsafe as well."

The resident said they later saw police officers covering the dog with what they thought was "aluminium foil".

Another resident, who gave their name as Alex, said: "I heard genuinely the four loudest noises I've ever heard in my life.

"It's really shaken me. It felt like someone was trying to get into my building at first and so I got really scared.

"I saw the dog on the floor covered in a blanket, and it was all quite shocking."

Labour's Marsha de Cordova, MP for Battersea, said in a tweet: "I am deeply concerned to hear about the XL bully dog attack that happened on Battersea Park Road yesterday evening.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims injured in the attack, and for their full recovery.

"I am in contact with the police and their enquiries are ongoing. New laws have come into force that make it illegal to own an American XL bully dog without an exemption certificate.

"It is vital that there is strong enforcement to make sure owners comply with the legislation."

Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or 'X' @MetCC and quote CAD7620/19Mar.

XL bullies were added to the Dangerous Dogs Act on 31 October last year when restrictions came into force dictating the dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.

Breeding, selling or abandoning the dogs also became illegal as of 31 December 2023 and as of February, it became a criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.