Slough named worst for accidents

A Berkshire town has been named the worst accident hotspot in the UK.

Slough came top of the list based on claims data compiled by an insurance firm. It was followed by Ilford in Essex while Birmingham was third.

According to the data there were 49.1% more claims involving road accidents in Slough than the national average.

The safest place according to Endsleigh Insurance was Belfast at 44% below the national average, followed by Swansea and Aberdeen.

Accident hotspots (% above national average) 1. Slough 49.1% 2. Ilford 44.0% 3. Birmingham 33.1% 4. Bradford 27.8% 5. London 24.0% 6. Burnley 19.9% 7. Plymouth 17.2% 8. Stockport 14.4% 9. Manchester 13.1% 10. Milton Keynes 12.2% (Data: Endsleigh Insurance)

Spokeswoman Rhiannon Harris said: "Drivers need to be even more vigilant leading up to Christmas when there are usually a greater number of vehicles on the roads and when weather conditions can be extremely hazardous.

"It is important that motorists throughout the country are extra vigilant at this time of year."

The report was based on policy holders' claims over the last three years.

A spokesman for the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership - which promotes road safety in the area - said it could be wrong to suggest that Slough was a significantly more dangerous place than elsewhere.

The area does have the highest density of roads in Thames Valley and one of the highest levels of vehicle registrations in the area.

At 1.26 vehicle registrations per person it is more than double the national average (0.59) for England.

The spokesman added that the number of annual fatal or serious injury collisions in Slough had reduced by 44% since 2000, although collision rates per head of population were slightly higher than the rest of Thames Valley.

In September, Department for Transport figures showed that road deaths had fallen to their lowest level since records began in 1928.