A man has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a man who was bitten by a German Shepherd on a footpath in Wakefield on Saturday, West Yorkshire Police said.

Lee Ellis, 55, of Blacker Lane, Calder Grove, Wakefield, has been charged with manslaughter and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

West Yorkshire Police officers were called to reports of an altercation on the old train line footpath off Blacker Lane in the Calder Grove area of Wakefield on Saturday afternoon.

The force said a 55-year-old man was bitten by a dog during the altercation and later died in hospital. A German Shepherd dog seized as part of this investigation continues to be held in police kennels, the force said.