A COURT has ordered that an XL Bully living in Bradford is destroyed, unless an exemption is acquired.

Leah Tatum, 21, of Greenwood Avenue, in Swain House appeared at Kirklees Magistrates' Court on September 26 for an application for the destruction of a dog otherwise than on a conviction.

This was in relation to an XL Bully called Bella, according to court records.

The order was granted but contained a condition.

Court records said: "Order made that, unless an exemption is obtained within two months of this order, the dog of that type known as the XL Bully named Bella shall be destroyed."

The Telegraph & Argus asked HM Courts & Tribunals Service whether they were aware of whether an exemption had been acquired and was told the court would not always be notified of an application for an exemption certificate.

Meanwhile, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which is responsible for exemption certificates, said it is unable to comment on ongoing legal matters or disclose the registration status of the dog.

It has been illegal to own an XL Bully since February this year, when the breed was added to the dangerous dogs list.

That is unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption, with the deadline for applying online at midday on January 31.

There are currently 50,000 XL Bullies registered in England and Wales, with 358 of those in Bradford, as of the end of June.

Those same stats, from a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request sent to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) showed the BD2 area had the fifth highest concentration of legally registered XL Bullies, with 22.