Oh deer - the UK's deadliest roads for animals revealed

If your name begins with Bam and ends with Bi, you'd be best off avoiding the main trunk road between London and Edinburgh. The A1 topped the nation, with at least 112 animal deaths recorded on it in 2017.

The country as a whole is hitting more animals – the rate at which animals were killed by vehicles increased by more than 10 per cent over 2016. Figures of 138 animals killed each month in 2016 rose to 153 a month in 2017.

See also: Mum killed after deer smashes through windscreen

See also: "Stormtrooper" eats roadkill to survive

The A1, which is Britain's longest road, saw at least 37 deer, 31 foxes and a swan killed on it, to name but a few. Its sister highway, the M1, saw a further 41 animals killed.

The data comes from Freedom of Information requests, and showed that 1,225 animals were killed on motorways and major A roads between April-December 2017. Of those, 496 were deer, 194 were foxes and 189 were badgers.

After the A1, the M6 was the deadliest road. At least 62 animals died, including the country's only known fatal collision with a heron.

All of the roads included in the survey had suffered at least one incident.

"The main message here is for drivers to be prepared for the unexpected even on the open road," the AA said. "Sometimes you get little or no warning, but signs warning of deer should be heeded."

The figures are not exhaustive, however, as Highways England and the police only have figures for incidents they were requested to respond to. That means that while only two hedgehog deaths were recorded, the true number is likely to be much higher.

Related video: