A MAN has spoken of the terrifying moment he and his pet dog were savagely attacked by three lurchers on Clacton beach.

David Rutter, 70, from Albany Gardens West, Clacton, was walking six-year-old Lakeland terrier Teddy on the seafront near his home when they were attacked.

Mr Rutter said a woman was walking the dogs, which he claimed were not on leads, close to Flags Café when they pounced on his beloved pet at about 1.30pm on Monday.

He said: “We came around a bend on the seafront and the three lurchers were off their leads.

“Lurchers are hunting dogs and I’ve seen them rip a fox apart in seconds.

“One of them attacked my little terrier and then the other two came in. He was screaming.

“I got on top of him and was on all fours on the beach protecting him and fending them off.

“It took 15 minutes for the woman to get them back on their leads.

“It was horrific – it was like being in some sort of survival movie.

“One of the dogs got off the lead and came at Teddy a second time and I had to fend it off again.

“We got away as fast as we could and I got Teddy to the vets.

“We were covered in blood and Teddy had a puncture wound to his cheek, head, back and legs.

“He has been given medication and he will be alright – he’s a tough little dog.”

Mr Rutter suffered bites and bruises to his hands and needed to visit his doctor following the incident.

He added: “I’m quite a big lad, but if it had been an old lady walking her shih tzu on the beach, it would have been torn apart.”

Mr Rutter has reported the incident to the police. He is appealing for a witness who saw the incident happen from the upper promenade to come forward.

Son Rick said: “Dad is 70, but is still strong. He was very worried that the lurchers would kill his dog.

“It’s really concerning – if this had been a small child on the beach, it could have been seriously hurt of worse.”

Mr Rutter has reported the incident to Clacton Police and is awaiting a response.