Overview
- Royal Mail published its 2025/26 figures on Monday, recording 2,019 dog attacks on staff, an 8% fall from the prior year but still averaging about 38 incidents a week.
- Serious injuries fell from 74 to 61, yet days off increased to 3,442 with one employee away for more than 300 days, highlighting longer and more severe recoveries for some victims.
- More than half of attacks happen at the front door and 16% occur through letterboxes, with Sheffield, Doncaster, Guildford, Newcastle and Portsmouth identified as repeat postcode hotspots.
- The company is stepping up public guidance and operational measures by offering a downloadable 'I HAVE A DOG' sign, urging owners to secure pets before opening doors and reserving the right to suspend deliveries where addresses are judged unsafe.
- Royal Mail points to legal tools used since a 2020 High Court ruling and private prosecutions to hold owners accountable for letterbox bites, a tactic it says supports prevention and may influence behaviour locally.