LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday American XL bully dogs would be banned by the end of the year, saying the animals were responsible for a series of serious attacks.

XL bully dogs have a stocky, muscular appearance and a heavier bone structure than pit bulls.

Announcing the move, Sunak said he “shares the nation’s horror” regarding recent dog attacks. Sunak said a man was killed on Thursday in a dog attack in central England which involved a suspected XL bully dog.

“It’s clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on,” Sunak said in a video message. “I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public.”

Photo By BullyB6 – This file has been extracted from another file, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80191320