Millions of people will be affected by the latest alert issued by the Royal Mail on social media
The Royal Mail has issued an alert to UK households, warning them of an issue that could temporarily suspend deliveries to their addresses. In a recent Facebook post, the Royal Mail urged homeowners to avoid opening their front door in a certain way.
The postal service said: “Never open the door when your dog is behind you”. The warning comes as the Royal Mail says there were 2,019 dog attacks on postal workers last year, averaging 38 attacks per week across the UK. Approximately 41% of homes in the UK have a dog, totalling about 15.5 million households.
The Royal Mail said: “Even the most lovable dog can be a danger to postal workers. Dogs are territorial by nature, and if they feel they need to protect their family, they can become unpredictable. Please help us to deliver your post safely by keeping your dog secure and out of the way before your postie arrives. Check out our top tips.”
Royal Mail has the right to temporarily stop deliveries to any location where a loose or aggressive dog presents a danger to postal workers. This rule is strictly applied to ensure the safety of staff, as there are thousands of dog attacks on delivery personnel each year.
If a bite or a serious threat occurs, deliveries are typically paused until the property owner can prove that the dog will be properly secured or kept away from the entrance during a delivery. If your service is put on hold, Royal Mail usually leaves a hold and a contact card, which means you will need to pick up your mail from your local delivery office or arrange another way to receive it.
The Royal Mail also urges British households to follow several other safety measures. These include “closing off access to a back garden if a dog can get around to the front” and “moving dogs to another room before opening the door”.
The Royal Mail also says: “If your dog attacks mail, you can fit a wire letter receptacle to protect mail and fingers… If your dog can’t be kept away, consider fitting a secure mailbox at the property edge”.
Another option for dog owners is to put a four-word message on their front door or window at home. The Royal Mail explains: “A customer postcard can be printed and placed in your door or window. This lets anyone delivering to your property know that you have a dog and asks them to wait whilst you secure your dog before opening the door.”
The postcard can be downloaded via the Royal Mail website and printed at home. In bright red letters, a four-word warning on it reads: “I have a dog”. Underneath, it adds: “Please wait whilst I secure my dog before opening the door.” If a printed version isn’t available, a hand-drawn postcard may suffice.
According to data from the Royal Mail, the S (Sheffield) postcode recorded the highest number of incidents in the UK, for the second consecutive year, with 61 attacks reported. The postal service said: “Although still the postcode area with the greatest number of attacks, the total figure was down 8% on last year when 66 attacks were recorded.”
It added: “Two postcode areas were ranked joint second for dog attacks on postal workers — DN (Doncaster) and GU (Guildford), each recording 53 incidents. They were followed by NE (Newcastle) and PO (Portsmouth) postcode areas in third place, with 50 attacks each. (See below for further details on the top 10 dog attack hotspots.)”
Royal Mail, in partnership with the Blue Cross, offers a free online webinar ‘Protect Your Postie’, aimed at dog owners when concerns have been raised about a dog’s behaviour, but no attack has occurred. The hour-long Zoom session offers practical advice on preventing incidents involving postal workers. An upcoming webinar will take place on July 16 at 12.30pm.
