ROAD deaths have increased in Bolton and across the UK in part because of government cuts to council and police budgets, a charity has warned.

The warning comes as the number of road deaths rose nationally for the first time since 2003.

Bolton follows the trend, with 13 people killed on the roads in 2011 compared to five in 2010.

Police have launched a crackdown, called Operation Dice, to combat the problem, targeting dangerous drivers, people breaking speed limits, using mobile phones at the wheel and not wearing seatbelts.

However, Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said more needs to be done.

He said: “After a long period of deaths falling year on year, we are very disturbed that they have risen, particularly among children and pedestrians.

“We are concerned this may be the end of the downward trend in people being killed on our roads because this is the first time annual road deaths have risen nationally since 2003, and follows three years where deaths reduced by several hundred per year.

“RoSPA is concerned that reduced public spending on road safety, especially cuts to local authority and road policing budgets, may be partly to blame.

“The Government and the road safety profession need to urgently get together to understand why road deaths have now started to rise.

“It is crucial that the Government demonstrates strong leadership by examining what more it can do to help local authorities, the police and other bodies involved in road safety to refocus and reinvigorate their services.”