According to Royal Mail, postmen and women reported 900 days of absence due to dog attacks in 2020/21 with the places recording the most incidents being Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Sheffield, Belfast, Portsmouth, Ipswich, and Gloucester.
But the number of dog attacks on Royal Mail workers has fallen by almost a third in the past year, mainly due to changes to deliveries because of the pandemic, the postal service has reported.
There were 1,690 dog incidents, compared with 2,445 in 2019/20, but the company said the number of attacks is still too high, with 33 every week, some of which led to permanent and disabling injuries.
Dr Shaun Davis, of Royal Mail, said: “We are pleased to see such a significant decrease in dog attacks on our staff this past year. However, 33 dog attacks per week on postal workers is still alarmingly high.
“We are aware that a change in our delivery procedures was the main factor for the reduction in attacks this year. We now need to build on this change, and further reduce the number of attacks on our people.
“So we are asking our customers and our colleagues not to become complacent as there is still much work to do in bringing the figure down even further.”
Main Photo (edited): © Shuo Wang; Postwagon © Aleksandr Faustov/dreamstime.com
