Post halted in West Bromwich due to 'roaming' dog

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Resident Ilona Welch said her dog was harmless

Post has been suspended in part of West Bromwich for more than two weeks due to fears about a "roaming" dog.

Royal Mail has sent a letter to residents in Cardigan Close saying they made the decision because of health and safety concerns.

Householders are having to collect their post from a sorting office two miles away in Lyng Lane.

The dog's owner, who lives in the street, said she had not been contacted by Royal Mail.

"I just found out no-one has been receiving their letters because of my dog," Ilona Welch said.

She said she understood the concerns but insisted the four-year-old animal was "harmless".


The letter was sent to 17 homes in Cardigan Close

"She's just grabbing post off him from the inside of the door," she said.

The letter sent to residents on 6 September said the "exceptional step" had been taken due to an "unacceptable level of risk".

Sandwell Council said a dog warden had visited the owner of the dog who had agreed to keep it muzzled and on a lead.

In a statement, Royal Mail said: "We apologise to residents at Cardigan Close for the continued suspension of their mail deliveries.

"We are liaising with local police and dog warden to ensure deliveries can be reinstated as soon as possible, however the safety of our delivery staff is paramount."

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Woman 'devastated' as post delivery-row dog killed

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Resident Ilona Welch said she agreed to hand over her Staffordshire bull terrier rottweiler-cross because she thought it would be re-homed

A dog owner who gave up her pet for re-homing after postal staff stopped delivering to her street was "devastated" to learn it was put down.

Royal Mail suspended deliveries to Cardigan Close, West Bromwich, because of concerns the Staffordshire bull terrier rottweiler-cross could attack.

So Ilona Welch gave her dog - called Shylow - to a council dog warden on the assumption it would be re-settled.

Sandwell Council said there was no alternative but to kill the dog.

Miss Welch, who said she only found out about the death after being contacted by the BBC, said: "If I had known that [they were going to kill her] I wouldn't have given her up.

"She was a perfectly good dog."

A letter was sent to 17 homes in Cardigan Close informing them of the original suspension

Miss Welch said both Sandwell Council and her landlord had told her she would not be able to keep the four-year-old dog, called Shylow.
"I had no choice," said the mother-of-four.

"They said I can't have a dog here that stops the post."

Royal Mail sent residents a letter last month saying it had taken the "exceptional step" to suspend deliveries due to an "unacceptable level of risk".

It meant families had to collect their post from a sorting office two miles away in Lyng Lane.

A Royal Mail spokesman said the dog had behaved aggressively towards its workers on more than one occasion.

"Following removal of the dog, it was deemed safe to reinstate deliveries," he said.

Residents in Cardigan Close had to collect their post from a sorting office two miles away during the delivery suspension

Councillor David Hosell, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for highways and environment, said the dog was removed with the owner's permission because of concerns about its temperament.

"The dog was confirmed to be aggressive and unfortunately there was no alternative but to put it to sleep," he said.

"We understand Royal Mail has now resumed deliveries to Cardigan Close, as have other delivery companies."