A pensioner who was knocked down and attacked by a dog has called for more powers to keep pets under control.

The man, from Rillington, near Malton, who is in his 80s, but asked to remain anonymous, was walking along the A64 through the village when the incident happened.

He said a German Shepherd dog ran at him and knocked him to the ground, leaving him needing medical treatment for his injuries.

And he called for restrictions to be brought in which would ban dog-walking without a lead on main roads like the A64.

"The owner is an elderly man and he can't handle the dog - that's why it was off the lead," said the man.

"He shouted at the dog but it took no notice, it was geared up to flatten me. It knocked me onto the road from the grass verge.

"Luckily the traffic stopped, but with these big lorries on the road they might not have. The dog grabbed my elbow and there were superficial cuts on it, and my thigh was black and blue from where I fell."

The pensioner said he was more concerned for what might have happened. "If it had been a child they could have been killed, or a disabled person or a blind person, they could have seriously been attacked."

Ryedale District Council's dog warden, Brian Dunn, confirmed he had been in touch with the owners.

He said: "Dogs should be under control at all times. If there were more designated roads where owners must keep dogs on a lead that would be beneficial to all concerned."

He said he believed the A64 was not the sort of route where any pet should be off a lead.

"The amount of people you see with dogs off the lead, considering the amount of traffic there is, is frightening."

Updated: 11:48 Tuesday, January 28, 2003