A postman has told of the terrifying moment he was confronted by a snarling dog in a garden in Birkenshaw, Bradford.

Andrew Leckenby was attacked by the Dalmatian on Wednesday.

He told the Telegraph & Argus that the dog bared its teeth before biting him on the back of his thigh.

The animal is well-known to the Royal Mail delivery office at Cleckheaton and is listed there as a dangerous dog.

The postal driver said: “The dog was aggressive. I was scared, especially knowing its history.”

Mr Leckenby, 43, owns four greyhounds and is a dog lover but added: “It is not nice having a dog coming at you with its teeth bared. If a dog wants to bite you, it will.”

Mr Leckenby, who has been bitten a “couple of times” by dogs in 12 years with Royal Mail, said the animal is usually kept in a cage round the back of the house. After rattling the gate to make sure it was not free, he went into the garden and was beckoned to a window by the homeowner.

As he handed a parcel over, the dog appeared around the corner of the house.

“I was shouting at the dog,” said Mr Leckenby. “The owner was shouting at the dog.

“It bit me on my leg, just near my bum. I shouted at it again and managed to get away.”

Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious injuries.

He backed the call for tougher legal sanctions, saying: “At the moment, the onus is on us to make the delivery, even if there is an animal there.”

Mr Leckenby said deliveries to the address had been suspended.