The pheasant’s revolt: Postman faces plucky nemesis on daily battle to make his deliveries 

A postman’s biggest fear is traditionally a nasty nip from an unruly dog. But now there is a new menace – a marauding pheasant.

For this bad-tempered game bird is forcing Mark Brough to run the gauntlet as he makes his daily round.

Mr Brough, 49, says he is often attacked by the feisty pheasant in the Staffordshire village of Cheddleton.

‘It can be quite nasty’, he said. ‘Yesterday it was biting everything in sight, even my bike.

‘It seems to react to my bag – if I approach it without the bag it tends to just stand there and look at me.’

Images show the male pheasant in attack mode. Mr Brough has to swing his bag to scare it off as it chases him down the street.

The father of two says he sees the funny side, even though he is often pecked on the legs.

Mark, a father-of-two, says he can see the funny side even though the feisty bird adds time to his deliveries as he tries not to get cornered during his round in Cheddleton, Staffordshire

‘It’s adding time on to my round’, he added, ‘but luckily I’ve got an understanding boss.

‘The street is only a little street, but the bird is causing mayhem. I’ve had geese come after me before, but never a pheasant.’

He believes the bird is protecting its territory – a cul-de-sac bordering fields.

Window cleaner Chris Stubbs, 35, has fallen victim to the aggressive bird too. 

‘There’s a family that run the local shoot and breed pheasants,’ he said. ‘This one seems to have taken that street as its territory.’