Postmen have asked Newham dog owners to keep their animals on a tight leash during the summer holidays.

Eleven attacks were reported in the east London postcode area between April 2011 and April 2012 - down by almost half on the previous 12-month period.

Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) reckon members face increased danger during the school holidays when parents and children are at home with their pets.

Workers have been armed with posting pegs so their fingers can be kept intact when putting letters through letterboxes.

Michael Shakeshaft, from Royal Mail in the East, said: “Clearly most dogs are not inherently dangerous.

“However, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its terrority is being threatened.

“We would like to express our thanks to our customers in the E postcode area for working with us to help reduce the number of attacks by 48 per cent since 2010.”

Dave Joyce, from the CWU, added: “The age old image of the dog attacking the postman is not a laughing matter.”