A blind woman is calling for dogs to be banned from a shopping centre after her guide dog was attacked.

Linda Johnson walks through Westwood Cross in Broadstairs every day with pooch Iggy to get to work at Saga and claims they are frequently set upon by other canines.

The 46-year-old, who was born blind, says usually the animals are just aggressive but this morning one went for Iggy's neck.

"I was walking my usual route to work and I knew there was a dog around as Iggy's ears went up and her neck went forward - a good indication she's seen something," said Miss Johnson.

"I settled her down and carried on walking at a slower pace. A dog started growling at her and then flew at her. It went for her neck.

"It was horrific. The noise is not something I can begin to explain, it was awful."

She says there was "language exchange" between herself and the other dog owner.

"I admit I swore at him, but that's because there's not one thing I care more about than Iggy," she said.

"I can't understand how people can allow their dogs to be like that.

"I don't know if pet dogs sense something about working dogs, or if it's because of the harness or because Iggy is quite sensitive, but it happens all the time.

"I will do whatever I can to have (pet) dogs banned from Westwood Cross so this doesn't happen again."

Miss Johnson says luckily her dog is not injured but that she is on rest to recover from her ordeal.

"I'm worried she will lose her confidence, which is what happened to my previous guide dog, who had to retire after being attacked," she added.

Francesca Donovan, centre manager at Westwood Cross, says she has a good relationship with Miss Johnson and she will do all she can to help.

"We have a policy that dogs are allowed in the centre as it is outdoors and people don't like to leave them in cars, but they're not allowed in the shops which means it's rare we get many here," she said.

"They tend to be smaller dogs if we do.

"I'm going to speak to Linda to find out more and see if perhaps it's one particular dog that she passes each day. If that's the case, I would be happy to intervene to try to resolve it with the owner."

Ms Donovan says they have reviewed CCTV to see where the attack took place, but are still trying to establish where and what happened.

"I can assure you I'm investigating this," she said.

"I want to work with Linda to make sure we can improve on this together."

A Toucan crossing, funded by Westwood Cross owners Land Securities, was put in years ago especially for Miss Johnson and her former guide dog Dixon in Haine Road so she did not have to rely on colleagues to help her cross to get to Saga.

Tactile surfaces were also put in place near the roads.

A police spokesman confirmed officers were called at 8.30am today to reports of a dog being attacked by another dog at Westwood Cross on Margate Road.

"There were no injuries sustained by the animals and initial inquiries are ongoing," she added.

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