SUPERMARKET CHAIN Safeway face a damages claim after a dog hurt itself grabbing a store leaflet posted through the door.

Pet lovers Gordon and Susan Musselwhite say Muffin the Dachshund leapt up to grab the leaflet and fell awkwardly. They returned home to find him lying motionless in the hallway. The leaflets in the letter box had teeth marks from where the dog had seized them. The six-year-old dog had dislocated a disc in his spine and needed immediate surgery.

Now the couple, both retired, are demanding £2,300 for vet’s fees and legal bills after a two-year legal wrangle with Safeway. They say the leaflet should have been put in a postbox by their front gate.

Gordon, 61, of Yealmpton, Devon, said: "We have notices up saying we don’t want circulars and a bright red letter box right by the gate. "We don’t want things through our letterbox because it provokes the dogs. We didn’t invite anyone on to our property to cause this damage."

Safeway has referred the matter to its insurers. A spokeswoman said: "All complaints are taken very seriously."