Royal Mail calls for dog control as attacks on workers go up 43 per cent in Redbridge

Dog owners in Redbridge are being asked to keep their pets under control after it was revealed attacks on postal workers have increased by 43 per cent.

The Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union is calling on people in the IG postcode to watch their dogs when the postman calls during the school holidays.

10 postmen and women were attacked in the area from April 2011 to April 2012, up 43 per cent on the previous year.

The number of attacks normally peak during the school holidays.

Michael Shakeshift, Royal Mail’s director of safety in the East, described the figures in Redbridge as “unacceptably high”.

He said: “Clearly most dogs are not inherently dangerous, however, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its territory is being threatened.

“We would appeal to owners to keep their pets under control, especially if they know their pets have a territorial nature.”

Tips to prevent attacks include keeping dogs inside at the time the post normally arrives and installing a cage if your animal is prone to attacking the mail.

The Royal Mail has spent �100,000 on awareness campaigns.