DOG attacks on postal workers have fallen over the past year but the Royal Mail said the number of incidents was still unacceptably high.

New figures from the postal service published today reveal an 8 per cent yearly reduction in attacks; posties recorded 2,019 attacks in 2025, an average of 38 per week, with some leading to permanent disabling injuries.

The highest number of attacks — 61 — were in the Sheffield area, closely followed by Doncaster, Guildford, Newcastle and Portsmouth with about 50 incidents each.

The firm renewed its requests for dog owners to take steps so that pets do not pose a threat to delivery workers.

Dog attacks resulted in 3,442 days of absence in 2025-26, Royal Mail said.

The service’s health and safety director Lizz Lloyd said the decrease was encouraging but attacks “remain a serious risk to postal workers.”