A visitor mauled by a loose dog on the Railway Trail fears the animal could attack again unless dealt with.

“My main concern is that I don’t want anyone else, particularly a child, getting bitten,” said Gill Lewis, who received a severe bite to the back of her leg.

Ms Lewis said the doctor who treated her believed the bite could have been “really nasty, even fatal” if it had been dealt to a small child.

The attack occurred on Thursday along the Railway Trail, close to The Fairmont Southampton, as she passed a residence by the footpath.

“This dog came down and charged for me,” Ms Lewis said. “It bit into my leg, then ran off again after I shouted and screamed. I carried on walking and within a few hundred yards I met an older Bermudian couple.”

According to Ms Lewis, the man said they knew of the dog and avoided that stretch of the trail, telling her he carried a stick for that reason.

The injury was dressed by a doctor and Ms Lewis was treated with antibiotics. She reported the attack to police, who subsequently referred her to a dog warden.

“I’m not sure what breed of dog it was because it all happened so quickly,” she said, describing the animal as light brown.

“My concern, especially after meeting that couple, is that the dog is obviously a danger, so hopefully they are looking into it.”