Some 1,916 dog attacks were reported on Royal Mail staff last year, including some leading to permanent and disabling injuries. The figures have been released for the 11th annual Dog Awareness Week. Royal Mail is appealing to dog owners to ensure their pets pose no threat to postal workers through responsible dog ownership.
Lizz Lloyd, Health & Safety Director, Royal Mail, said: “We are concerned to see attacks on our staff have increased this year. We know the number of attacks rises during the school holidays and in the summer months when parents and children are at home and dogs are sometimes allowed unsupervised in the garden or out onto the streets without restraints. So, while we want our customers to enjoy being outside with their pets, we also want to ask them to consider the danger unsupervised dogs pose to our colleagues.”
Staff in the TN (Tunbridge Wells) postcode area reported the most incidents during the year to March 2023, with 65 postmen or women suffering dog attacks, followed by BT (Belfast) and S (Sheffield) postcode.
As in previous years, most attacks, 902 (47pc), took place at the front door. A further 515 (27pc) happened in the garden, drive or yard, while 118 (6pc) of attacks took place in the street or road.
Some 381 injuries were suffered through the letterbox – accounting for 20pc of attacks on postal workers. Letterbox attacks were the subject of a 2020 High Court ruling that stated dog owners (or those in care of a dog) can be prosecuted if their pets have free access to the letterbox and cause injury to any delivery operative, whether the owner is at home or not.
Dog attacks on Royal Mail staff resulted in more than 3014 days of absence in 2022/23; the longest period of absence was 139 days.
According to figures from the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals), dog ownership in the UK has risen steadily over the past three years, from 9.6m in 2021 to 11m in 2023.
Royal Mail says it knows that dogs are not inherently dangerous, but, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels it or its territory is being threatened. The top ten postcode areas for dog attacks:
For the first time the TN (Tunbridge Wells, pictured) postcode area had most incidents reported, 65; the previous year saw 44 attacks. The TN postcode area has featured in the ‘top ten’ list for dog attacks for nine consecutive years.
The BT (Belfast) postcode area placed second this year with 56 attacks, compared with 50 attacks last year. The BT postcode area has appeared in every top ten list since Royal Mail began releasing figures on yearly attacks in 2013.
The S (Sheffield) postcode area saw a 2pc drop on attacks compared to last year, but still placed in third place, down from first place last year, with 50 attacks, compared to 51 last year. The S postcode area has appeared in every one of the ‘top ten’ lists for dog attacks since 2013 and topped the list three times.
The PO (Portsmouth) postcode area placed in fourth spot with 49 dog attacks on Royal Mail’s delivery staff. The figure sees a 44pc increase compared to 34 attacks in the previous year. The BS (Bristol) postcode area placed in fifth place this year having dropped out of the top ten in 2022. This year saw 42 dog attacks on Royal Mail staff, up from 27.
The SA (Swansea) postcode area is in sixth, having recorded 41 attacks on Royal Mail staff this year, compared to 37 in 2022. The EX (Exeter) postcode area in seventh saw 38 reports of attacks. The NG (Nottingham) postcode takes eighth, at the same level as the previous year with 37 attacks. In joint ninth place are the BN (Brighton) and OX (Oxford) postcodes both with 34.
