New data from puppies.co.uk shows the areas of the UK where people are still looking to buy XL Bullies despite Rishi Sunak announcing the dogs would be banned by 2024

New data shows the areas in the UK with the most Google searches for XL Bullies for sale.

The crossbreed - which has been responsible for an increasing number of deaths in the country in recent months - is set to be banned by the end of the year. However, many dog lovers appear to be still looking to buy the pets regardless of the looming law change.

Puppies.co.uk analysed Google search data to find out which city makes the most searches, with all results normalised per 100,000 residents. Across the UK, the site's team found around 9,600 monthly searches, with Coventry taking the top spot.

The Midlands city sees approximately 362 searches made per 100,000 residents. Manchester is in second spot, with approximately 354 monthly searches. In third spot is Leeds, with 286 searches per 100,000 residents. Rounding off the top five are Cambridge (252) and Liverpool (245).

XL Bully dogs have carried out half of the fatal dog attacks in the UK since the pandemic, it has emerged. At least 23 people have been killed by dogs in Britain in the last three years and XL Bullies, or similar breeds, were suspected to be involved in 12 of the fatal attacks.

XL Bullies are estimated to have been responsible for at least 12 deaths in the UK (

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People in the UK are still googling how to buy XL Bullies (

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Rishi Sunak has said a ban on XL Bullies will become law by January 2024 after a spate of attacks around the country. In a win for the Mirror's campaign, he said the government is "urgently working to stop these attacks". He has tasked experts to define the breed of dogs behind a recent spate of attacks this week with a "view to then outlaw them" and ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Mr Sunak said: “These American XL bully dogs are a danger to our communities and we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and to protect the public". Among the XL Bully victims are Jack Lis, 10, who was mauled to death by a friend's dog called Beast in Penyrheol in Caerphilly, Wales, in November 2021.

Adam Watts, 55, meanwhile, was mauled to death by an XL Bully at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, where he looked after abused animals in his care. Bella-Rae Birch was just 17 months old when she was attacked in her home in Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, by the family’s XL Bully in March 2022. The pet snatched the youngster out of the arms of her mother.

10 year old Jack Lis (

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Bella-Rae Birch (

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In May last year Keven Jones, 62, was killed by an XL Bully in Wrexham. Ambulance staff tried to save him but efforts to stop bleeding in his left leg failed, and he was pronounced dead at his son's house. Joanne Robinson, 43, was killed by her XL Bull dog, Rocco, after it 'turned mad in the extreme heat' in July 2022. She died at the scene of the attack at home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

And Ian Symes was mauled to death in a Hampshire park by an XL Bully named Kong, which had been bought by his friend the previous day over Snapchat, the following month. Ann Dunn, 65, was discovered in her home mauled to death by dogs including an XL Bully in October 2022.

She had been hospitalised a year before her death because of a dog bite. Shirley Patrick, 83, died from her injuries 17 days after being attacked by an XL Bully and Cane Corso Cross dog near her home in Caerphilly. Jonathan Hogg, 37, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, died in hospital after suffering huge bite wounds to his arm, leg and head after his friend's XL Bully became aggressive in May.

Last month, Ian Price, 52, was attacked by two suspected XL Bully dogs just a stone's throw from his family home in Stonnall, Staffordshire. This month, Ian Langley, 54, was walking Beau, his Patterdale terrier puppy close to his home in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland when he was attacked and killed by an XL Bully.

Time for action on Danger Dogs

The Mirror is calling for:

■ 1 The overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act. An urgent review of the law is needed and tougher penalties should be considered.

■ 2 Enforce the rules to stop the illegal and irresponsible breeding and selling of dogs.

■ 3 A public information campaign to promote the importance of responsible dog ownership and the need for training.

Full list of UK Bully hotspots

City Population Average Monthly Search Volume Normalised Data

Coventry 359262 1,300 361.8529096

Manchester 395515 1400 353.968876

Leeds 455123 1300 285.6370695

Cambridge 158434 400 252.4710605

Peterborough 163379 400 244.8295069

Bournemouth 163600 400 244.4987775

Slough 163777 400 244.2345384

Warrington 165456 400 241.7561164

Oxford 171380 400 233.3994632

Mansfield 171958 400 232.6149409

Walsall 172141 400 232.3676521

Wigan 175405 400 228.0436704

Bristol 617280 1,400 226.8014515

Ipswich 178835 400 223.6698633

Crawley 180508 400 221.5968267

Swindon 185609 400 215.5067912

Sutton 187600 400 213.2196162

Newcastle upon Tyne 192382 400 207.9196598

Portsmouth 194150 400 206.0262683

Sheffield 685368 1,400 204.2698229

Aberdeen 196670 400 203.3863833

Dudley 199059 400 200.9454483

Norwich 213166 400 187.6471858

Northampton 215963 400 185.2169122

Milton Keynes 229941 400 173.9576674

Blackpool 239409 400 167.0780965

Southampton 246201 400 162.4688771

Wolverhampton 252791 400 158.2334814

Reading 318014 500 157.2257825

Luton 258018 400 155.0279438

Plymouth 260203 400 153.7261292

Liverpool 864122 1,300 150.44172

London 7556900 11,200 148.2089216

Derby 270468 400 147.8918024

Belfast 274770 400 145.5763002

Birmingham 984333 1,400 142.2282906

Southend-on-Sea 295310 400 135.4508821

Bradford 299310 400 133.640707

Swansea 300352 400 133.1770722

Newport 306844 400 130.3594009

Preston 313332 400 127.6601177

Kingston upon Hull 314018 400 127.3812329

Birkenhead 325264 400 122.9770279

Sunderland 335415 400 119.255251

Stoke-on-Trent 372775 400 107.3033331

Cardiff 447287 400 89.42804061

Edinburgh 464990 400 86.02335534

Leicester 508916 400 78.59843275

Glasgow 591620 400 67.6109665

Nottingham 729977 400 54.79624701