Attacks on postal workers in front gardens rises by 40 percent amid online shopping boom

The rise of online shopping has led to an increase in postal workers being attacked by dogs in their customers' gardens, according to new figures published by Royal Mail.

Attacks on postal workers in front gardens were up by 40 percent over the last 12 months compared to the previous period.

Royal Mail global director of safety Shaun Davis said: "More and more dog attacks happen on postal workers at the front door or in the front garden and that number is increasing as we deliver more online-purchased parcels".

Over the 2017-18 period there were 1,026 dog attacks on postal workers in front gardens, up from 733 for the preceding 12 months.

The increase comes amid a surge in online shopping in the UK.

Over the last five years, the sale of non-food items online has boomed, from 11.6 per cent of the total market in December 2012 to 24.1 per cent in December 2017.

Royal Mail worker Clair Kami suffered permanent damage when a bite from a Staffordshire Bull Terrier severed tendons in her right leg as she was delivering a parcel in Liverpool in 2016.

She believes dog owners should make sure their dogs are locked in another room when they open the door to the postman.

“There are a lot more parcels that won’t fit through the letterbox and there is more mail that needs signatures,” she said.

“The risk now is a lot greater now - but public attitudes haven’t changed.

“A dog biting a postie is a running joke for many members of the public, but the reality is that it is something that happens every day and it can be a life altering experience."

While dog attacks in front gardens have increased, the overall number of dog attacks on postal workers has declined over the last two years.

The total number of dog attacks on postal workers over the 2017-18 period was 2,275, eight percent less than in the previous period.

Increased use of special devices, known as “Posting Pegs” has helped to reduce the number of workers receiving injuries to their fingers as they post mail through letterboxes.

The devices resemble folding rulers and allow Royal Mail staff to deliver letters without putting their fingers through the letterbox.

A total of 165 postal workers were bitten on the hand as they posted mail through a letterbox during the 2017-18 period, less than half the figure for the preceding 12 months.