ROYAL Mail has started a campaign to raise awareness about dog attacks on postmen and women as it reveals more than one postie a month is targeted in Bradford.

The company's Dog Awareness Week runs from today until Saturday and Royal Mail hopes it will encourage responsible dog ownership in the BD post code area.

It said "around 16" postmen and women were attacked across the BD postcode area by dogs from April 2014 to April 2015, down 30 per cent on the previous year.

The number of attacks rises by over a quarter during the school holidays and in summer months when parents and children are at home, and dogs can sometimes be unsupervised in the garden or out onto the street without restraints.

Across the country, about eight postmen and women are attacked each day.

Royal Mail Operations Director for the North Rob Jenson said: "Dog Awareness Week continues to go from strength to strength raising awareness of the problems of dog attacks and the problems our postmen and women face when they are delivering the mail.

"However, last year there were still too many incidents in the BD postcode area and we need to reduce this number further as even one dog attack on our people is one too many."

The Awareness Week is supported by the Communications Workers Union and a wide range of organisations and animal charities including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, National Dog Wardens Association, Dogs Trust, PDSA, Blue Cross and the National Police Chief’s Council.