A woman who died after being attacked by two dogs thought to be XL bullies at a house in Essex has been named as 68-year-old Esther Martin. Police said they were called to an address in the village of Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, just after 4pm on Saturday, where they found Martin. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The two dogs were destroyed in the house, and a 39-year-old man from Jaywick was arrested on suspicion of dangerous dogs offences and remains in custody, police said. Martin’s daughter, Kelly Fretwell, 46, said her mother was visiting her 11-year-old grandson at a house that was home to eight XL bully dogs, including six puppies and the two adult dogs that attacked her. She paid tribute to her “amazing” mother, a retired Tesco worker with four children, and said Martin tried to visit her grandchildren as often as she could. “She came to visit my nephew and now she is dead,” she said, adding that the child could have been killed as well. “This is a very distressing time for our family. If someone knocked on your door at night to say that your mum had been mauled to death, would you believe them?” At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Ch Supt Glen Pavelin praised the “unflinching bravery and professionalism” of the officers who attended the scene. “When six police officers entered the house, their priority was, as always, to keep their community safe,” he said. “Both dogs were destroyed inside the house. Thanks to their swift actions, I can reassure the community of Jaywick that there is no ongoing risk posed to them by this incident. “I would also like to thank local people who tried to get into the house to help Esther Martin. You should be proud.” Pavelin did not confirm the dogs’ breed and said the force was “working with experts to establish this”. He said he had not been informed of any previous complaints about the dogs involved in the incident. “I want to express my condolences to her family and friends, and we’ve got specially trained officers supporting them,” he said. “This incident will be a huge shock to the community and I understand their concerns. Experienced detectives are leading the investigation to identify exactly what has happened.” He confirmed a “familial relationship” between the victim and the man arrested. Martin’s death is the first fatal dog attack in 2024 after seven deaths in 2023, a sharp increase on the average of three deaths a year from 2001 to 2021. The government has added XL bullies, the breed responsible for a number of recent attacks, to the Dangerous Dogs Act, and from Thursday it was illegal to own one without registration for an exemption. Rishi Sunak had in September announced the plan to outlaw the breed. It is the first breed to be banned since 1991, the year the Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced. Defra said about 35,000 people had registered their dogs by the deadline, but that estimates of the total number of XL bullies in the UK suggested thousands remained unaccounted for.