Child pedestrians in Wirral are twice as likely to be killed or seriously hurt in road accidents compared to the risk nationally, a Government report has revealed.

And the latest road casualty figures released by the Department for Transport show that Merseyside is now the second most deadly part of the country for pedestrians.

Only East Sussex has a worse record.

Records for 2009 indicate that nationally, three children per 100,000 population died on the roads; the figure for Wirral was nearer to six per 100,000.

Wirral Green Party spokesman Pat Cleary blasted Wirral as "an especially harsh environment for children."

He said: "Wirral must hang its head in shame at these shocking statistics.

"How many children need to be killed before serious action is taken?"

He added: "The figures for Merseyside raise serious questions for the local police force.

"Why does Merseyside lag behind other metropolitan areas? How do the police intend to respond to these shocking figures?

"Behind many of these statistics is a life ruined or a family bereaved. It's high time the relevant authorities gave serious consideration to improving pedestrian safety."

But Road Policing Chief Inspector John Hogan said the latest figures for Wirral showed a significant reduction in both serious and fatal road collisions with 29 fewer incidents in the peninsula during 2009-10.

This 20% reduction was reflected across the force.

He said: "We continue to work hard with partners to change driver behaviour through enforcement, initiatives and education.

"We now provide an increased number of driver improvement schemes and continue to officer the 'bike safe' initiative to educate qualified motorcycle riders how to be safer on the roads.

"We also assist with school educational visits and continue to target motorists who speed, do not use seat belts and use their mobile phones while driving."

Chief Inspector Hogan added: "Reducing serious injuries or deaths on the roads is clearly not the work of one agency alone; we need to work closely with the public and road users of all types and ages to ensure the roads remain safe for Wirral residents and visitors."

Cllr Lesley Rennie, Wirral's cabinet member for Streetscene and Transport Services, said: "Improving safety on Wirral’s roads, particularly for children, continues to be a top priority for Wirral Council, Merseyside Police, and our other partners.

"We are continuously working to make our roads safer for Wirral's children.

"We have made significant improvements in road safety and are now ranked in the top quarter of improving Metropolitan local authorities in relation to the number of casualties involving children who were either killed or seriously injured.

"We are also on target to achieve the national 2010 target for reducing the number of casualties involving children who were either killed or seriously injured.

"We have also approved a £1.1million programme over four years to broaden the introduction of 20mph speed limits on residential roads and near schools across Wirral.

"We never fail to forget that one child killed or seriously injured on our roads is one too many, and will continue to work hard to ensure that every effort is made by the council and its partners to continue to reduce these numbers still further.