Sheffield had the highest number of dog attack incidents on postal staff reported in the country last year.
Fifty-one postmen and postwomen suffered dog attacks in the S (Sheffield) postal area.
The recent statistics have come from a report by the Royal Mail which said that there were 1,600 dog attacks on postal staff last year.
Sheffield has appeared in the top ten list of dog attacks on Royal Mail postal workers every year since 2013.
Craig Rice, 41, who is the manager and director of the Dog Training Company Sheffield said that ‘it is not a dog problem but a dog ownership problem’.
He said: “Owners should take responsibility when their dog attacks a postman because you’re leaving the dog in a situation that they 100% shouldn’t be in.”
Mr Rice also advised dog owners to train their dogs as soon as they start barking at postal delivery workers to prevent a subsequent attack.
The BT postcode (Belfast) placed close behind Sheffield with 50 attacks on postal workers in the last year.
The Royal Mail said: “Even the most lovable dog can be a danger to postal staff. Dogs are territorial by nature and if they feel they need to protect their family, they can become unpredictable.”
An average of 32 dog attacks on postal staff occur every week in the UK, with some leading to permanent and debilitating injuries.
Andy Mason, 49, who is a postman near Brighton said: “My work partner Eddie was mauled and dragged around a garden two years ago by a Rottweiler. He needed stitches, a tetanus jab and a couple weeks off work.
“This made me more vigilant around dogs, I don’t like them at all, I’ll hear barking when I go up to the door and think ‘oh Christ’.
“I had an attack last week by a big black Labrador that was trying to kill me. I had to grab a bin and hold it between us to stop him biting.”
The Royal Mail said that they were committed to supporting and protecting postal staff across the UK.
In the not too distant future, the Royal Mail will provide handheld devices used by delivery drivers which will have an app that alerts the postal worker that a dog is present at the property.
Dog attacks on Royal Mail colleagues resulted in more than 1712 days of absence in 2021/22 but until the hand-held devices are provided to postal staff, Mr Mason said the postal workers are provided with little support for dog attacks.