The number of accidental deaths in Britain has hit an all-time high as people are “substantially more likely” to suffer a serious accident than they were 20 years ago, data has revealed.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has warned that the country is “facing an accident crisis” after figures from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland showed a UK-wide rise of 42% in accidental deaths in the last decade, with more than 20,000 people being killed each year.

Accidents have become the leading preventable cause of death for people under 40, with more than half of fatal accidents occurring at home.

The study also found that accidents cost the UK nearly £12bn each year – £6bn in NHS care and £5.9bn in lost working days.

Accident victim Brian Whitnall was hospitalized for six days after accidentally cutting off two of his toes while mowing his lawn earlier this year.

The 50-year-old sales manager for a printer and copier company underwent two operations after the accident.

“It was a warm Sunday and my partner Rachel was washing the driveway while I was cutting the grass,” Mr Whitnall said.

“While riding my Flymo lawnmower, I took a step back and caught my foot on the stairs leading to my nephew’s trampoline. Next thing I’m going to fall on my back.

“Instead of letting go of the handle, which would have stopped the engine, I gripped it harder to try to steady myself and brought the mower towards me.

“I felt a burning heat in my right foot and knew immediately that I had cut off a few toes.”

Mr Whitnall was taken to hospital where doctors told him they were unable to reattach his severed toes, meaning Mr Whitnall took longer to recover and had to leave from work.

“I had two operations to try to ‘cure’ the wound, but unfortunately the toes – two in the middle on my right foot – were gone forever.

“I stayed in hospital for six days to be monitored and to make sure the wound was not infected.

“After that I had to wear a protective boot on my foot for a few weeks.”

He added: “In terms of work I’ve been able to do bits and pieces from home but because I work on commission I haven’t been able to drive to meetings and I’ve lost a couple of thousand pounds in the time I’ve been injured.

“I hope to be back at work very soon.”

The report showed that hospital admissions for serious accidents have increased by 48% over the past two decades in England alone – with more than 740,000 people admitted after an accident in 2022/23.

Accidental deaths have increased by 57% in Scotland, 56% in Northern Ireland, 41% in Wales and 40% in England since 2013.

The study found that nearly half (46%) of accidental deaths in 2022 resulted from falls, with more than a quarter (26%) from poisoning and 7% from a road or transport-related accident.

More than 4.4 million bed days were used to treat patients with accident injuries in England last year, costing the NHS around £4.6 billion.

A bed day means that a person is admitted as an inpatient, confined to bed and stays overnight in the hospital.

In the UK, accidents resulted in around 5.2 million bed days, costing the NHS around £5.4 billion in the past year.

Accidents led to around seven million visits to A&E in the UK last year, costing a further £613m and the total cost of accidents to the NHS at least £6bn annually.

Almost 29 million working days were lost to accidents in the UK in 2022/23 – 10 times more than were lost to strikes.

The combined cost to UK businesses is £5.9 billion, the report said.

RoSPA called on the government to implement a National Accident Prevention Strategy to “save lives, boost the economy and free up capacity in the NHS”.

The society’s chief executive, Becky Hickman, said: “We need to act now to stop further preventable deaths and serious injuries – accidents are avoidable and must not happen.

“Britain is facing an accident crisis.

“We are all much more likely to suffer a serious accident today than we were 20 years ago.

“Even those who have never been involved in an accident are still suffering as increasing numbers of accidents choke the UK economy and swallow up the NHS – taking up bed space, money, time and resources that could be directed to other serious illnesses.”