Residents of Buckingham Road in Swinton have not been receiving postal deliveries from Royal Mail for the past three months after a postman was attacked by a dog
The postman was seriously injured after an altercation with one of the residents pets whilst delivering mail to the address, and delivery has not resumed since the incident.
Terry Smith, 85, one of the residents living on Buckingham Road affected by the issue said:
“It’s unusual to stop delivering for the whole street because of one flat and a dog. Why not just don’t deliver to that block of flats or even put a postbox on the other side of the railings.
“There’s a solution to everything if you think about it. I didn’t propose this but somebody up there in Royal Mail, somebody’s got to have a bit of brain about them, haven’t they? Why didn’t they think of something like that?”
“It’s gone on for nearly 3 months. Then we were told, to collect our post, I would have to have gone to Worsley industrial estate.
“Well I don’t have transport, I’m 85 my wife is 80 odd, how the hell do we get down there, other than a taxi. And you have to go yourself because you have to show proof of identity.
“The Royal Mail are under contract to deliver post because people pay to have that mail delivered with a stamp and they’re not honouring that contract to deliver mail – they’re being paid for somebody else to deliver it for them.”
Residents were forced to travel 45 minutes on foot or a 15 minute drive to the Worsley depot to collect their mail.
Christmas is the busiest time for postal deliveries and the upcoming general election is adding further pressure to Royal Mail staff.
The most exciting time of the year is upon us! ?
Have you sent your #Christmas letters to Santa?
Last post to Reindeerland is Friday 6th December.
The info you need is here ?https://t.co/hyVhmAKBDH pic.twitter.com/128aBGR4mv
— Royal Mail (@RoyalMail) December 2, 2019
A Royal Mail Spokesperson said: “Royal Mail can confirm that there is a delivery suspension in place on Buckingham Road due to concerns over the safety of postmen and postwomen following a recent dog attack.
We have notified all impacted residents of the suspension and have made arrangements for impacted customers to collect their mail from the local Post Office should they require. The police have also been informed. Daily assessments and observations are taking place with a view to resuming normal deliveries as soon as we can do so safely.
Royal Mail treats all dog attacks on our postmen and women very seriously, and our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers. It is very distressing when one of our people is attacked by a dog while carrying out their job.
Suspending deliveries is often a last resort, as we recognise the vast majority of dog owners are very responsible and keep their pets under control. We continue to appeal to dog owners and their families to help reduce the numbers of attacks, particularly at the door and in the garden.”
Roaming dogs on your streets ?? @RoyalMail “Please help us to deliver your mail by keeping dogs under control and off the street when your postman or postwoman calls” pic.twitter.com/ieXFkml9HZ
— Lydia Ransome (@LydiaRansome) December 4, 2019
A leaflet at the local Royal Mail depot in Worsley provided further guidance to pet owners:
“Recently your postie has encountered difficulties delivering mail to your area. This is due to dogs roaming the streets menacing and in some cases attacking our people. There are many dog attacks involving postmen and women every month. Sometimes these involve serious injuries to our people, which require medical attention, and even time lost from work
Sadly this can also lead to a loss of service to customers and in the case of roaming dogs could to not only but your neighbours not receiving their due mail for that day. As you can see, we treat this issue seriously so that we can ensure our people are safe and able to continue delivering your mail.
Please help us to deliver your mail by keeping dogs under control and off the street when your postman or postwoman calls”
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