Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are appealing to dog owners to help keep animals under control during the school holidays this summer when postmen and women call to deliver mail.

While the number of attacks has fallen by 14% nationally since 2010, it still remains unacceptably high. Over 3,100 attacks took place between April 2011 to April 2012. Postmen and women face increased danger during school holidays when parents and children are at home with dogs sometimes allowed unsupervised in the garden or out onto the streets without restraints. These attacks usually increase during the prolonged summer school holidays.

Royal Mail and the CWU are asking customers to keep their pets under control and are issuing top tips in an attempt to reduce the number of dog attacks.

Royal Mail and the CWU are working together to raise awareness of the reality of dog attacks through targeted campaigns and the CWU led Bite Back campaign. However, the number of attacks remains unacceptably high.

Dave Joyce, CWU National; Health and Safety Officer said: “The age old image of the dog attacking the postman is not a laughing matter. Thousands of our members are bitten every year and hundreds suffer debilitating injuries every year which leave them with physical and psychological scarring, some with life changing disabilities and all in the course of doing their job.”