Royal Mail halts delivery on street of danger terrorised by the 'Beast of Dorset Gardens'

It is the Beast of Dorset Gardens: an animal of such aggression and ferocity that Royal Mail has banned deliveries to the entire street. Postmen and residents have spoken of being terrorised by the brute, while the local council has threatened the dog's owners with eviction unless they rehouse it. The terrifying canine in question is not a rottweiler or a pit bull but a six-inch Yorkshire terrier named Peggy. Those living in the cul-de-sac in Northampton have been denied postal deliveries for six weeks after a postman complained of being attacked repeatedly by the nine-year-old bitch, described as "good natured and loved by everyone" by its owners, the Joyce family.

The last alleged attack was on Dec 7. Since then residents have faced a 14-mile round trip to collect their post from a sorting office. Police said they were aware of an incident, though there was no evidence of puncture or blood wounds. The local council said it had received several complaints that Peggy was out of control and was seeking to rehouse the dog or its owners. Margaret Joyce, 19, admitted that Peggy had growled at postmen but denied she had attacked anyone. "It's absolutely ridiculous that they are refusing to deliver mail to any of us," she said. "Peggy is very good-natured and loved by everyone.



She spends her days sleeping and playing with the children. It's such a fuss over a small dog. She does bark if someone comes to the front door but her bark is much bigger than her bite." She added: "We can keep her indoors if the postman comes around; even if she is outside, she's the size of my hand, not a rottweiler. This is our family pet but we've had people saying they're going to get Peggy, and the police saying they might take her away. It's ridiculous." Some neighbours took a different view. One, who asked not to be named, said: "It is a vicious little thing and I have seen it going for the postman. I don't have a car and it costs £30 to get the post delivered somewhere else." Another added: "Some old people in the street aren't able to travel to get their mail. Someone needs to do something about it."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are waiting for confirmation that the dog has been removed from the address in Dorset Gardens and once we are satisfied this has been done, and our staff can work safely, we will reinstate deliveries. Unfortunately, animal attacks are a hazard faced by our employees. In extreme cases, Royal Mail may stop delivering mail to addresses where there is a particular problem, but this only happens as a last resort." A spokesman for Northampton council said the authority had received complaints that "one of our tenants was failing to control an aggressive dog" and had tried to work with the family. He added that if a deadline to rehouse the dog was breached the council could take legal action "which could result in the tenant losing their house".