Fifty one-year-old Colin Crosthwaite is urging animal owners to act responsibly in the wake of a number of attacks on Royal Mail delivery staff across Cumbria.

It is a particular problem during the school holidays when parents and children are at home and dogs are allowed unsupervised in the garden or out in the streets.

Royal Mail held a special Dog Awareness Day tomorrow last week to help staff in Cumbria and Lancashire understand the dangers of dogs and also how to deal with animals they encounter whilst out on their deliveries.

The dog which attacked Colin was outside the house. He said: "The Jack Russell came out of the house through an open gate and bit me on the back of the thigh. The bite broke the skin so I had to go to the doctor to have my tetanus renewed.

"The dog had bitten me and one of my colleagues once before and, after the latest case, the owner has now made sure that the dog is kept inside the house when I deliver. The house has a basket on the inside of the letter box but the dog still goes mental every time I deliver."

From April to June this year there have already been 17 animal attacks on postmen and women in the LA postcode area and 8 in the CA postcode area.

Royal Mail's General Manager for Cumbria and Lancashire, Alan Gairns, said: "We know that not all dogs are dangerous, but even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its territory is being threatened.

"Our first priority is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people and increasingly we have to suspend deliveries because dogs are on the loose and it is not safe for our postmen and women.

Royal Mail also makes sonic alarms available to postmen and women which ward off roaming dogs. The alarms give out a high-pitched frequency which cannot be heard by humans but keeps animals safely at bay.

Following an attack or near miss, householders receive a letter from Royal Mail asking them to keep their pets under control or risk losing their doorstep delivery. In more serious cases, the local dog warden and police are informed.