A postal worker was rushed to hospital after a pit bull terrier attacked her as she tried to deliver mail to a house on Mission Lane, Pembroke, yesterday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the dog had its jaws locked around Margaret Pitt's arm and only let go when a passing motorist shouted at it.

Residents helped stem the blood by using a towel to wrap around Mrs. Pitt's wounds. She was later taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment for bite wounds to her leg and arm. She was released yesterday afternoon.

Postmaster General Clevelyn Crichlow yesterday urged homeowners to lock their dogs up because his staff were consistently complaining about being chased by the animals.

The dog was taken to the government kennels in Southampton where it is likely to remain until the case is resolved by the courts, should Mrs. Pitt decide to press charges against the owner.

One eyewitness said yesterday: “She had big holes in her, the dog had locked onto her hand. A guy came past in a car and yelled at the dog and it ran off.

“She screamed so loud. Someone put a rag or a towel on her wrist to stop the blood flowing and some ice. Two weeks ago the same lady was scared off by two dogs at the house. They ran after her but didn't bite her.”

Another witness said: “We were working next door and we heard this loud screaming. We looked out the window and couldn't find where it was coming from, but we saw the dog running back to the kennel and the lady on the ground.

“She was bitten up pretty bad on the hands and feet. The dog chased her as she went down the bank to deliver the mail and she must have fallen off her bike.”

One man who arrived at the scene recounted what he saw: “She was in a terrible state when I got there. She was bleeding profusely from her arm; I began wrapping her arm to reduce the blood flow. She just kept screaming. It was awful.”

He continued: “It's sad. No one came out of the house (where the dog was kenneled) until the ambulance arrived and all the guy said when he found out what happened was, ‘It's not my dog'.”

Mr. Crichlow said: “The supervisor has taken her to hospital and secured the mail. She is in a satisfactory condition. This is a huge problem which we've tried to deal with for several years.

“People have dogs which are loose and every now and then they chase a postal worker. We know the back of town and Devonshire are chronic areas but even in high income areas people have dogs loose. They think they are friendly, but there is something about the cycle noise that maybe sets them off.

“I have to say that no matter how friendly a dog is, you have to have them secured. The Bermudian attitude is completely different; they think ‘my dog must be freed'.

“We call the dog warden about it all the time and he talks to the neighbours. Sometimes you can have one dog that is holding the whole neighbourhood to ransom because the postal worker can't get access to the area.

“People must have their dogs locked up. One person wanted their mail delivered at a certain time so the dog could be free the rest of the time and sometimes that can happen but sometimes the mail gets delayed.”

Head dog warden Jeffrey Benevides said: “The dog was taken to the kennels for security until I can ascertain how it got out. It is now up to the complainant to decide if she wants to take the matter to court.

“I may hold it and let the judge decide the fate of the animal. I have been here for 13 years and I know of only a few cases where a judge has ordered the dog to be destroyed, usually if there have been repeated complaints. This is the first complaint about this dog.”

He said the dog's owners could be charged with allowing the animal to cause damage.

Mr. Benevides said he dealt with a lot of complaints from postal workers usually about the dogs biting staff on the trousers, but said that actually flesh biting was much rarer.