A DOG owner waiting to hear whether her pet has been identified as a dangerous pit bull terrier faces a delay because of a shortage of experts.

Bolton Council officials impounded Donna Whittle's dog Gnasher after it escaped through an open gate at her home in Hall i' th' Wood.

The pet is being kept in kennels as there is a suspicion that it could be one of the banned breeds.

The council says it has a duty to protect the public by making sure Gnasher is not a danger.

Mrs Whittle, aged 25, of Pimlott Road, insists six-year-old Gnasher is a cross-bred Staffordshire terrier.

But the mum-of-four must wait for a decision because experts have been swamped with requests from councils to identify dogs in the wake of the pit bull attack that killed five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson in St Helens on New Year's Day A spokesman for Bolton Council said: "The dog has been taken to an undisclosed location and the owner will be able to see her pet whenever it can be arranged.

"We are still waiting for the animal to be assessed so we can identify the breed, but animal experts are in great demand at the moment. If the dog is not found to be a pit bull breed then it will be returned immediately to the owner, who will incur no cost."

If the dog is found to be a banned breed, Mrs Whittle could face prosecution.

It has been illegal to own a pit bull-type breed since 1991, but many owners are not clear about the breed of their pets.

Mrs Whittle said she bought Gnasher from a friend 18 months ago when he moved house.

Identification is difficult, and consists of a complex points-based system in which features such as the size of the animal's jaw are used to determine whether it is a pit bull.

As a result, there are few experts qualified to make a correct identification.

Mrs Whittle said: "The council said they would send me a letter to explain exactly what is happening to Gnasher. In the meantime, I've just got to wait for an expert."