Park users have been warned to be on the look out after a dog was injured by a ball booby trapped with razor blades and needles.

Police say they are investigating after Sam Isgar’s Jack Russell Penelope cut her mouth on the ball which had been left in South Park.

The believe it had been left there in a deliberate attempt to injure pets.

Concerns have now been raised over the safety of children using the park.

Mr Isgar, 28, said Penelope injured herself on the ball which was covered with razor blades and sewing needles after trying to pick it up with her mouth.

He said he had thrown his own ball but that his pet came back with blood running from her mouth after finding the other one.

Mr Isgar, who lives with partner Hollie Ward near the park, said: “There was blood everywhere. It was awful. I picked her up and had blood all over me too.

“We cleaned her up and she’s OK now but I felt so sorry for her. She is a happy dog and just wanted me to keep throwing the ball but it was horrible to see her like that. Someone did it deliberately and I’m so angry that someone could do that.”

Sam’s partner Hollie, 28, said: “This is more about the kids who use the park. It makes you worry when you have children yourself. We’ve got a two and a half-year-old daughter and it could have been her that was injured. We’re not going back to the park after what happened. There should be cameras there.”

Police think it was a deliberate act and have issued a warning to park users.

Sgt Simon Degg, of Macclesfield Police, urged park users to report any similar discoveries and keep hold of the evidence.

He said: “This is a shocking thing to find in the park and we’re trying to make people aware. That ball had been put there to cause injury to dogs.

“We want people to know we take this very seriously. People have every right to enjoy the park and this is out of order.”

Councillor Janet Jackson, whose Macclesfield Central ward covers the park, urged residents to be careful.

She said: “It’s really worrying to learn of such an event. It’s terrible that someone would do something like that, knowing that it would cause injury.

“It could have been a child.” Penelope found the ball around 6pm on Friday, May 15. Call police on 101 with information.