This is the moment two playful dogs chasing each other down the road knock the feet from under an elderly woman sending her crashing badly to the ground.

The footage that was shot on a road in the city of Changsha in the Chinese province of Hunan shows the elderly couple slowly walking down the road together.

Seconds later, two hounds clearly playing with each other that are not looking where they are going run into the old woman, completely knocking her feet out from under her and send her tumbling backwards.

She then lands heavily, banging her head on the ground and not moving as the old man protests and attempts to help her along with an unknown woman who also runs over.

The video caused widespread anger when it was shared online with many people saying dog owners in the country were getting out of control.

There are many calls for tougher rules about keeping dogs on their leads in built-up areas especially when around people, and the family of the injured woman who already was suffering from unspecified ill-health reportedly threatening legal action against the dog owner.

One online commentator said: “I have really had enough of these dog owners, and recently I took my girl to walk around the square. A dog then ran directly at my child. I kicked it and then the old man who was the owner got annoyed with me! He tried to tell me that the dog was not dangerous, and I shouldn’t have approached it. I asked him whether the square was for people or dogs and told him to put the animal on a leash – at which point he just walked off without saying anything else.”

It was not revealed whether police are investigating the incident.