The number of people being seriously injured in crashes is on the rise.

Department for Transport data shows 60 people were seriously injured on Merton's roads in 2017.

In eight of those accidents children were taken to hospital.

The overall figure for people killed and seriously injured has increased from 46, the yearly average from 2010 to 2014, to 60 last year.

The DfT uses the yearly average to measure change over time.

The number of road casualties in Merton, which includes minor injuries, increased by 13 per cent over that time, to 597.

The data includes any injury sustained with a vehicle on the road which could mean anything from a bike colliding with a pedestrian to someone falling over while cycling.

When patients are taken to hospital it is classified as a serious injury.

RAC road safety spokesman, Pete Williams, said: "This new data makes for sobering reading – there has now been no substantial reduction in fatalities since 2010, with the numbers killed on the roads remaining stubbornly high.

"It also remains the case that casualties among some vulnerable road user groups, specifically pedestrians and motorcyclists, are rising, which is a concern."

Of those seriously injured, 23 were pedestrians, 11 were cyclists and 18 were riding motorbikes.

Mr Williams continued: "Speed limit compliance also remains a real problem, with more than half of vehicles recorded speeding on 30mph roads and nearly one in five drivers travelling at 30mph or more in a 20mph zone.

"With traffic levels rising, and people’s dependency on the car also increasing, a shift in focus is needed at both national and local levels to begin to tackle the problem.

"On a day-to-day basis, it is every driver’s responsibility to ensure they are driving safely by not breaking speed limits and reducing distractions in their vehicles so their attention remains firmly on the road."