Surge in dog attacks on postal workers revealed by Royal Mail

New figures show dog attacks on postal workers have risen to almost 2,000 reported incidents in the past year.

During the year to 31 March 2023, 1,916 dog attacks on postal workers were recorded, the Royal Mail said on Monday.

This is a 14% increase on the 1,673 reported dog attacks on Royal Mail staff last year.

Some “postmen” suffered serious injuries, including a woman who admitted she needed surgery after being attacked by a dog.

The postal company released the figures to coincide with its annual “Dog Awareness Week,” during which bosses are urging owners to “take appropriate steps to ensure their pets, through responsible dog ownership, do not pose a threat to postal workers.”

Workers in the Tunbridge Wells postcode area reported the most incidents over the year to March 31, 2023, with 65 workers suffering attacks, it said.

The second highest rates were in the postcode areas of Belfast and Sheffield, which accounted for 56 and 50 reports respectively.

About 902 dog attacks, or 47%, occurred at the front door, another 515, 27% occurred in the yard, driveway, or yard, and 118.6% occurred on the street or street.

There were 381 injuries from the mailbox, accounting for 20% of attacks on postal workers.

Attacks on letterboxes were the subject of a 2020 Supreme Court ruling, allowing dog owners or handlers to be prosecuted if their pets allow free access to the letterbox and injure delivery workers, according to the Royal Mail.

Dog attacks on postal workers resulted in more than 3,014 days off work last year.

Kimberley Link, 50, had been a postwoman for two years and was living in Eltham, south-east London, when she was mauled by a “big dog” in July 2022.

She was unable to work for six months after the attack, resulting in the owner being prosecuted and the animal being killed, the Royal Mail said.

While delivering the mail, she said the dog “suddenly” appeared behind the owner, who was unable to block his exit from inside her home before attacking her.

She said: “I realized he was loose and turned to get away but he jumped at me from behind and latched onto my left elbow.

“I can remember the dog pulling me to the ground, then releasing my elbow and then trying to bite my neck.

“I had my hair in a long ponytail and a baseball cap on so it didn’t ride down the back of my neck.

“The attack then stopped, I don’t know if the customer managed to grab the dog and pull her away from me, but one of her neighbors came when she heard me screaming.”

An ambulance took her to the hospital, where an X-ray showed that “the dog’s tooth was still lodged in (Ms. Link’s) elbow”.

She was transferred to another hospital because she needed a plastic surgeon and underwent surgery once to remove the dog’s tooth and then again “to try and repair the nerve damage.”

“I then had a third surgery for a skin graft, where skin was taken from my thigh for my elbow,” she said.

She was in the hospital for a week and needed physical therapy.

“I now have severe scarring on my elbow and a large area where I have no sensation or feeling due to the skin graft,” she added.

“Also, I have permanent nerve damage in my hand, so I can’t grip my hand properly.”

She was later offered a managerial position, which she described as “a return to this round could not bear.”

“My message to any customer who owns a dog is to never assume that their dog will be fine when strangers come to the door,” she said.

“Dogs are home defenders so if possible move them to another room before opening the door to the postman as most dogs will try to push past their owner towards the door.”

The dog’s owner was given a 12-month community will for 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay the victim £1,200 in compensation while the dog was placed under a death warrant, the Royal Mail said.

Lizz Lloyd, director of health and safety at Royal Mail, said: “We are concerned that attacks on our staff have increased this year” and urged customers to “consider the danger that unattended dogs pose to our colleagues.” represent”.