Julie Russell, 34, was driving home from working an early morning shift at the Belmont Hotel where she is the supervisor of housekeeping when a Pitbull ran into Middle Road.

Ms Russell, who owns her own Pitbull, said it was about 6 a.m. when a barking dog ran towards her motorcycle just past Southampton Gas Station, causing her to skid off the bike.

She explained: "When the bike fell, it went one way and I went the other. The dog first came over to the bike and then over to me before two men who had stopped to help chase him away.'' But when the pair went to stop oncoming traffic, the dog ran over to her again.

Ms Russell said: "I was so scared he was going to attack me, luckily the men saw it and chased it away again. The owner was nowhere in sight.

"I wanted to scream but I was so scared I just froze.'' Police and an ambulance attended the accident and Ms Russell was taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where she was treated for road rash on her left leg and had a number of x-rays.

She was later released from hospital and is at home waiting to talk to Police.

"I never spoke to a Policeman to tell them what happened. I called this morning and they told me to call back at midnight to speak to the officer who attended the accident.'' Ms Russell said she wanted to see the owner of the dog who caused her accident to be prosecuted.

"Dogs like that need to be tied up not running around the road,'' she said.

SUMMER STUDENT INCREASE GVT Summer student increase More students are finding summer jobs in Bermuda, thanks to Government assistance.

The Summer Employment Programme showed an increase of 32 students placed in jobs, 290 compared to 258 last year -- but out of 1,115 registered in the scheme this year and 795 in 1997.

Human Affairs Minister Jerome Dill said the extra students registered on the scheme was the result of increased awareness of the scheme via Government marketing.

"I am very pleased, the scheme has been a tremendous success, we have got students in various areas,'' he said.

And he added that the placing of students helped them in their eventual search for permanent employment, and with the payment of overseas college tuition fees.

Out of the total number registered this year, 675 were secondary school pupils and 440 were post-secondary.

TRIM YOUR HEDGES GVT Trim your hedges The Ministry of Works and Engineering reminded property owners this week of their responsibility to clip their roadside hedges.

Owners must make sure hedges are not overhanging on public and private roads, creating a danger for pedestrians, motorists and garbage collectors.

A spokesman said the Ministry often received complaints about overgrown trees and hedges.

He said: "Hedges grow very quickly after a rain shower and we are appealing to property owners to be more considerate of pedestrian and vehicular traffic by keeping their hedges which border public and private roads properly trimmed.'' Government occasionally trims private hedges which obstruct traffic but only when owners have ignored several notices to do so.

Civil servants then bill the owners for the work.

The spokesman also said Government had its hands full maintaining Government schools, national parks and beaches and did not have the manpower to cut everyone's hedges.