Attacks per area

Glasgow and surrounding area 116 Edinburgh and Lothians 79 North-east 57 Fife 44 Ayrshire 40 Lanarkshire 39 Tayside 35 Highlands 31 Forth Valley 31 Dumfries and Galloway 30 Renfrewshire 24 Borders 23 Perthshire 22 Caithness and Orkney 12 Western Isles 12 Shetland 4

The reported incidents ranged from a nip to serious attacks where staff had to have stitches and take time off work.

In one case, the career of a postal worker in his thirties was ruined after a dog badly mauled his arm.

Following the attack in Ayrshire, the man required plastic surgery and was forced to take a long period of time off work.

When he returned, he found that the reduced mobility in his arm was making the job too difficult and he was forced to take early retirement on medical grounds.

The Royal Mail said 311 working days were lost last year because of the attacks while animals caused 18% of all accidents reported by staff in Scotland last year.

The Royal Mail's director for service delivery in Scotland, Alex Gibb, said: "Royal Mail has an obligation to deliver mail to all addresses.

"Obviously this involves entering private premises, gardens and stairs. Indeed just walking along some streets can cause major problems.

Safety taken seriously

"Many of our people are dog lovers and have them as pets but for some reason many dogs just hate the sight of uniforms."

Mr Gibb wants people to be aware of the reactions of their animal to calls from postal workers and act accordingly.

"For example, if a dog rushes out or barks when the postman calls, be aware of the time and try to keep it indoors, consider fitting a wire cage behind the door to catch the mail, keep your dog on a lead," he said.

Mr Gibb said owners who do not keep their animals under control might have to collect their mail from their local delivery office in future.

Dog attacks were worst in the Glasgow area

He said: "We take the safety of our people very seriously. If a dog prevents postal staff from delivering the mail by attacking or causing a nuisance, the owner may be asked to collect their mail from the local delivery office.

"Staff who are attacked or menaced by a dog can report the matter to the police or make a claim to the owner for compensation."

He said all postal staff are given training in dealing with aggressive dogs.

They can also request a dog dazer, which gives off a high-pitched noise to distract the animal while others have resorted to carrying around dog biscuits to pacify animals.

Scottish Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals spokeswoman Doreen Graham said: "Dog training is a key element to ensuring the safety of our postmen and women and the ultimate safety of our own pets.

"Many dog owners are surprised legislation is in place to ensure the safety of all members of the public and applies to all breeds of dog and any incident could result in a court action."