The fiercest dogs roam around Sheffield in central England, closely followed by the Northern Irish capital of Belfast. Overall, however, the attacks decreased.
On average, dogs attacked a postman 32 times a week in the UK. In the financial year 2021/22 (31 March) the Royal Mail recorded a total of 1673 dog attacks.
Some deliverers have suffered long-term injuries or are now disabled due to an attack, the service company announced on Monday. “Dog attacks remain a major safety concern for postmen across the UK and the scale of the problem should not be underestimated,” said Dave Joyce of the Communication Workers’ Union.
As in previous years, attacks mainly occurred on the front door (39 percent) and in the garden and driveway (30 percent). In almost a quarter of the cases (23 percent), dogs attacked the delivery staff as they threw the mail through the letterbox slot in the door. Most of the attacks were in Sheffield, in central England, with 51, just ahead of the Northern Irish capital of Belfast (50).
The number of attacks decreased for the second year in a row, albeit only slightly at one percent compared to the same period last year. Due to the corona pandemic, dog attacks fell by almost a third in the 2020/21 financial year. This was attributed to a significant increase in contactless delivery.
