‘Worry rise’ in dog attacks on postal workers – Royal Mail urges owners to be cautious

A union warned that there had been a “worrying increase” in dog attacks among postal workers.

Royal Mail said there were 2,206 dog attacks in the 12 months to March 2024 – an increase of 15% on the previous year.

Some of these attacks were so severe that the postmen and women suffered permanent injuries and became disabled.

During this period, 82 attacks were recorded in which postal workers were seriously injured, compared to 33 in the previous twelve months.

Dog Attacks resulted in over 2,273 days of absence in 2023/24, with the longest absence being 197 days.

Royal Mail has launched its annual Dog Awareness Week to encourage customers to be more careful and responsible when owning dogs.

The locations with the highest risk included Portsmouth, Belfast, Bristol, Brighton and Plymouth.

Dave Joyce, health and safety officer for the Communication Workers’ Union, said: “The number of dog bites and serious dog attacks continues to rise at a worrying rate across the UK and is on an upward trend. This poses a growing risk to postal workers and a growing health and safety issue at work.”

“The main purpose of Dog Awareness Week is first and foremost to remind the public of their legal and moral responsibility to keep their dogs under control and to prevent dog attacks on postal workers who provide a great public service.

“The public needs to be aware that they can be prosecuted if their dog attacks a postal worker.”

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Most dog attacks occurred at the front door, followed by the garden, driveway or yard. Some of the attacks are also said to have taken place on the street.

One in five incidents occurred through mailboxes, although dog owners can be prosecuted if their pets have free access to the mailbox and injure delivery workers.

Lizz Lloyd, Royal Mail’s health and safety director, said: “We are saddened and disappointed that attacks on our staff continue to increase.”

“Dog attacks have a devastating impact on our population and we appeal to dog owners to think twice when the postman comes.

“All dog attacks can have life-changing consequences for the victims, even if the physical injuries are not significant.

“Almost half of the attacks happen on the front door and over a quarter in the front garden. So this is not just a problem for the Royal Mail, many other organisations face the same problem.”