A dog has died after it was stabbed during a fight between its owner and another man.

Police were called to Crawley Leisure Park after the incident at 6.30pm on Saturday.

A fight had broken out in an alleyway near the multi-storey car park, and a 40-year-old man suffered a minor cut to his neck.

But his dog suffered serious stab wounds and died as a result, police said.

Detective Sergeant Seb Day said: “This happened in an alley off a busy area of town and a lot of people came to help the victim who was incredibly distressed about what had happened with his dog.

Read more: Fire Service reveals cause of 'chemical incident' in Hove

“We are appealing to anyone who saw people running from the leisure park area and can help us with the investigation.”

After the attack, Chief Inspector Rosie Ross says the people of Crawley are concerned after a “number of incidents”.

She said: “We are doing everything in our powers to target those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Anyone with information is asked to report on the Sussex Police website or call 101 and quote reference 940 of 17/11.