Figures from the Department for Transport suggest that more people were injured and killed on Bury’s roads last year, but numbers remain lower than before the pandemic.

The pandemic saw road casualties drop across Great Britain as many people stayed at home during lockdowns.

But as these figures a rising, charities have warned that the government must do more to tackle the rise in injuries from traffic accidents.

The figures show there were 307 road casualties in Bury in 2021 which rose from 222 the year before, but fewer than 335 in 2019.

But more people were killed on the area’s roads last year as seven people died, whereas five were killed in 2020.

There were 60 serious injuries recorded which is an increase on the year before where there was only 45.

The road safety charity, Brake, organised a campaign this week where tens of thousands of children marched for safe streets in the UK.

This is because national figures show that 2,261 children were injured and 33 killed on Britain’s streets last year.

Scott Williams, head of programme delivery at Brake, said: “Every child should have the right to walk in their neighbourhood without fear of traffic or pollution.

“It is vital that children can walk safely in the places where they live.”

Across Great Britain there were 127,967 road casualties in 2021, an 11 per cent rise on the year before, while 1,560 people were killed.

The number of cyclists who lost their lives dropped by 20 per cent from 141 in 2020 to 113 last year.

Commenting on the Department for Transport's figures, Mark Turner, chief executive of the Road Victims Trust, said: “It remains a terrible fact that four people will be killed on the roads of the UK each day, with many more suffering life-changing injuries.

“The devastation and trauma caused by these collisions is immense and it is disturbing to see a climb in the numbers of people affected.”

The RAC said the government must do more to improve road safety.

The organisation's head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: “RAC research suggests there is a huge level of concern among drivers about the standard of driving on our roads, so we urge the government to consider reintroducing road safety targets.

“They should also look at whether the long-term decline in full-time road traffic police officers has led to a worsening in driver behaviour.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “While there has been a decline in road casualties in recent years, any fatality on our roads is a tragedy and our sympathies remain with anyone who has lost a loved one.

“Road safety is a top priority we are committed to improving through education and updates to the Highway Code that will help protect vulnerable road users, alongside our highly successful THINK! Campaign.”