Colchester councillor Mike Hogg bitten while canvassing

Mike Hogg, who has represented Colchester’s St Anne’s and St John’s wards for 36 years, sustained two puncture wounds to his fingers during the attack.

The Liberal Democrat was in Hazelton Road delivering campaign newsletters ahead of Colchester Council’s elections when he approached a property and pushed the material through a letterbox.

With no prior warning a potentially dangerous dog could be lurking on the other side of the door, Mr Hogg, 74, was left battling a Labrador Retriever for his hand on Tuesday.

He said: “I folded the newsletter up and, with my hand inside, pushed it through the letterbox. The dog got hold of my hand and I had to wrestle it through the letterbox.

Ouch - Mike Hogg

“As I pulled my hand out it was bleeding heavily, I had two puncture wounds on two fingers. I just stood there in utter disbelief as I couldn’t hear a dog before posting.”

After rattling on the door to speak with the dog’s owner, Mr Hogg explained he was invited inside to help clean up his wounds.

“I told the owner her dog has ruined the newsletter and wrecked two of my fingers, and that she should have a warning on her door,” he said.

“I was standing in her kitchen dripping blood everywhere while, to be fair to her, she helped to stop the bleeding.”

Attack - Mr Hogg was delivering election newsletters when he was attacked

The council stalwart, who was first elected in 1986, was then taken to Colchester Hospital where he waited more than four-and-a-half hours to see a doctor, who sanitised his injuries and bandaged him up.

He explained he was bitten once before in Greenstead, Colchester, about 20 years ago, but incidents of this kind had been rare during his 36 years campaigning on the streets.

Undeterred, Mr Hogg was back out delivering leaflets on Wednesday.

He stated: “They’re not going to get rid of me that quickly – I’ve still got two years left to run.”