Belfast one of the most dangerous cities for dog attacks on postal workers

Royal Mail has announced that 2,019 dog attacks on its staff were reported over the past year

Belfast is one of the most dangerous cities in the UK for postal workers being attacked by dogs.

Royal Mail has said that last year 37 postal workers were injured after being attacked by a dog in Belfast as 2,019 suffered injuries across the UK. It says this is an eight percent decrease on the previous year and while this is welcome, it means that 38 postal workers are injured every day.

This year also saw a reduction in attacks causing serious and significant injury to postal workers. There were 61 significant injuries recorded in 2025/26, compared with 74 the previous year — a 17% reduction. However, Royal Mail says the number of serious injuries remain a cause for concern.

Belfast is ranked the sixth most dangerous city in the UK for dog attacks on postal workers, with Sheffield taking the top spot with 61 dog attcks, followed by Doncaster and Guilford where there were 53.

There were 1,048 (52%) attacks at the front door, a 4% increase on the 1,005 last year. A further 511 (25%) dog attacks took place in the garden, drive or yard. There were 135 (7%) attacks in the street or road.

There were 324 injuries suffered through the letterbox – accounting for 16% of attacks on postal workers. Letterbox attacks were the subject of a 2020 High Court ruling that stated dog owners (or those in care of a dog) can be prosecuted if their pets have free access to the letterbox and cause injury to any delivery operative, whether the owner is at home or not.

Dog attacks on Royal Mail colleagues resulted in 3,442 days of absence in 2025/26 – with the longest period ongoing at 300+ days.Lizz Lloyd, Health & Safety Director at Royal Mail, said: “While it’s encouraging to see dog attacks on our colleagues fall by 8% last year, these incidents remain a serious risk to postal workers, resulting in painful injuries and lasting distress. Every attack is one too many.

“We continue to raise awareness of the issue among the public, but preventing attacks starts at the doorstep. We’re urging dog owners to take simple steps, such as keeping pets secure before opening the door, to help keep our people safe.”

The top 10 most dangerous cities for dog attacks on postal workers

1

S

Sheffield

61

2

DN

Doncaster

53

=

GU

Guildford

53

3

NE

Newcastle

50

=

PO

Portsmouth

50

4

NG

Nottingham

48

5

SA

Swansea

44

6

BT

Belfast

37

7

ME

Medway

36

8

TN

Tonbridge

35

=

YO

York

35

9

LE

Leicester

34

10

ST

Stoke-on-Trent

31

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