Huge increase in dog attacks on postal workers in 12 months

The number of dog attacks on postmen and women has leapt by 73 per cent in just one year, new figures show.

The statistics, released after Royal Mail prosecuted a dog-sitter for letting a Jack Russell get out and bite a postman’s groin , show there were 133 attacks on postal staff in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, in the past year alone.

That’s up from 77 the year before.

In total across the UK there were about 1,500 dog attacks on Royal Mail staff, which was a factor in the decision to launch a private prosecution against Simon Astill, of Ashby Parva, near Lutterworth, after the attack back in February.

In response to the big leap in attacks, Royal Mail has said it would seek to launch a private prosecution in any case where the local police decided against criminal procedures.

In the Ashby Parva case, Astill, 51, was questioned by Leicestershire Police , who settled the matter by having him write a letter of apology to the postman but Royal Mail launched a private prosecution to bring the case to court.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “Royal Mail treats all dog attacks on our postmen and postwomen very seriously.

“Our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers.

“We will always seek prosecution, either through the police or by taking legal action ourselves, in circumstances where we believe a member of the public has failed to control their dog so that it causes injury to a colleague going about their duties.”

The postman bitten in Ashby Parva needed hospital treatment for his injuries, which happened when Astill was looking after the dog, called Stanley, for a friend of his.

He had intended to close the inner porch door of his home in Simon’s Orchard but Stanley slipped out and jumped up at the postman, who was waiting for Astill to sign for a parcel, biting into his groin and clinging on until the postman managed to pull him off.

At Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, Astill, pleaded guilty to allowing Stanley to be dangerously out of control on February 26.

But Astill’s solicitor, Luke Chignell, said that would be unfair for the court to punish Astill or force him to pay towards prosecution costs since his client had already been dealt with by Leicestershire Police.

He said: “It’s really unfortunate the matter is here in court at all.

“What Mr Astill did wrong was simply to leave part of his door not fully closed.”

The magistrates agreed and gave Astill a six-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay a £20 victim surcharge.

The magistrates were required by law to consider a destruction order for Stanley but decided against it after hearing from the dog’s owner, Russell Faulkner, of Broughton Astley, said Stanley, who is 10, had never attacked anyone before.

Of the 133 dog attacks on Royal Mail staff in the past year in the East Midlands, 38 were in Leicestershire, 41 in Derbyshire and 54 in Nottinghamshire.

The previous year there were 30 in Leicestershire, 19 in Derbyshire and 28 in Nottinghamshire.