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Mail deliveries have been suspended in parts of Meltham after a postman on his round was badly bitten by a dog.
Over 100 addresses in the village have been left without deliveries since the horrific incident last Tuesday.
But residents claim Royal Mail gave no warning that deliveries were being suspended – and argue that the decision is an over-reaction to the incident.
One man, who asked not to be named, said: “Everyone has to go to Holmfirth to collect their mail now – but Royal Mail didn’t have the courtesy to tell us that. All they have done is put a sign up in Holmfirth post office.
“Not everyone can get to Holmfirth for their post. There are lot of elderly people living around here who don’t have transport.”
The man said there was no justification for suspending postal deliveries to the entire neighbourhood, saying: “They know the owner of the dog that did this so there is no need to penalise everyone else.
“My understanding is that Royal Mail has to deliver the post by law or give us a reason why they can’t.”
Postman Jason Lee, 41, suffered a terrible injury to his arm as he protected his face when the dog struck in Meltham.
The attack happened when Jason approached the house in Copley Avenue at 12.15pm last Tuesday.
The dog ripped a large chunk of flesh from his forearm.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “Royal Mail can confirm that it has temporarily suspended deliveries to a number of addresses in Meltham following a serious dog attack on a delivery postman on Tuesday, July 9. We take the Health and Safety of our employees very seriously.
“We are still seeking assurances that the dog in question has been restrained. We are working with the owner of the dog, West Yorkshire Police, the dog warden and Kirklees Council to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“Regretfully, until such time as we can guarantee this, we are unable to access those affected properties and deliver their mail safely.
“Suspending deliveries is only ever our last resort. We will be carrying out a health and safety risk assessment this week.”
She said: “As we are unable to deliver our customer’s mail, we have placed notices in the local Post Office branch, a local supermarket and in our own Royal Mail enquiry office.
“We apologise to all affected customers. In the meantime, affected customers can collect their mail from Holmfirth delivery office on the production of photo ID. Customers can also arrange to make alternative temporary arrangements by contacting the Delivery Office on 01484 680997.”
The action affects 105 addresses in Copley Avenue, Nab Crescent, Deer Hill Court, Badgers Brow, Golcar Brow Road, The Hollow, Sunny Bank Road, 2-24 Red Lane and 1-13 Red Lane.
The spokeswoman said: “The postman involved has suffered extremely serious wounds.”
West Yorkshire police said enquiries into the incident were still continuing.
