Royal Mail cancelled our post because of what a dog has done

Royal Mail said “anyone unable to get to the office to collect will be offered alternative arrangements until we can safely resume deliveries”

Residents living in a cul-de-sac have spoken after Royal Mail confirmed it would suspend deliveries to a small area of their road. Royal Mail confirmed it has stopped the delivery of mail to parts of Burnley Road in Ainsdale, Southport, after it recorded two incidents involving a dog.

The delivery service, as well as Merseyside Police, confirmed a man was attacked on June 1 last year while delivering post to an address on the residential road. While at the address, he was bitten by the dog which resulted in him having to go to hospital. Merseyside Police confirmed officers investigated the attack on the man in his 60s but there was “insufficient evidence to progress the investigation”.

Mail deliveries continued to the address until a second incident was reported to Royal Mail involving a postwoman and the same dog, which the ECHO understands is a border collie. A spokesperson for the company said the unrestrained dog attempted to attack the postal worker but was prevented thanks to the help of neighbours.

People living on part of Burnley Road have been told they will have to travel to the Southport Delivery Office on Wight Moss Way, Kew, around 3.5 miles away. Royal Mail told the ECHO “anyone unable to get to the office to collect will be offered alternative arrangements until we can safely resume deliveries”.

Neil Griffiths, 58, who lives with his wife and daughter, has not long had an operation on his neck and is waiting on letters from the NHS regarding possible appointments. He said: “I’ve had an operation on my neck and I’ve had to ring the hospital everyday to see if I have any appointments since the post isn’t being delivered.

“I’m mobile and can just drive to the depot but there are a lot of elderly people who live down here so no one’s getting post. I’m off work today recovering from my operation but normally I teach in a prison so I can’t get to Kew for my mail.”

Other residents, including Elaine Jones, complained about the situation regarding the collection of the post. The 81-year-old said: “The idea that we’ve now got to go to a place to collect is just horrific. Our neighbour’s going to do it for us tonight otherwise we wouldn’t get our post and it’s awful that one house with a dog has knocked out the whole close.”

She continued: “You have no idea how sorry I am because most of the stuff that comes is for appointments from the NHS. Sometimes you get a letter and it’s for an appointment for the next day. It’s so short notice.”

In response, Royal Mail told the ECHO that discussions are ongoing over the possibility of delivering mail to the local post office in Ainsdale village and it “should have a process in place very soon for customers to collect their mail from there”.

In a letter to residents, Royal Mail said: “You may already be aware that a Royal Mail post person was attacked recently by a dog whilst delivering near your property. This has highlighted an unacceptable level of risk associated with delivering to your address at this time, as a result of this, and due to the seriousness of the incident, I’m sorry to advise you that deliveries to your address will be suspended with immediate effect.”

One couple, who did not want to be named, questioned why the letter was hand delivered to their door after the incidents in the cul-de-sac but their mail can’t be for the foreseeable future. In response, Royal Mail explained the letters were delivered by a manager “very early in the morning” due to them not believing “the dog would not be out loose at that time of day”.

In the initial story published by the ECHO, Merseyside Police confirmed a man in his 60s was injured after being bit by the dog. A spokesperson said: “Enquiries were carried out at the time by officers, but there was insufficient evidence to progress the investigation and this was communicated to the person who reported the offence.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Deliveries to Burnley Road remain suspended due to a dog being out unrestrained that attempted to attack the postwoman. The incident is isolated to a small part of Burnley Road. Other properties on the road are not affected.

“The team at Southport Delivery Office is working with the authorities to resolve the issue. Deliveries will not resume until we are sure our colleagues will be safe whilst carrying out their work. Anyone unable to get to the office to collect will be offered alternative arrangements until we can safely resume deliveries.”