Wardrobes, bleach and BATHUBS: The objects in your home that are most likely to KILL you...as study shows astonishing rise in deaths from unfortunate freak events

The number of Brits dying from freak accidents like unknowingly drinking bleach or being crushed by a wardrobe has soared to record highs of more than 20,000 per year, new data shows.

So-called accidental deaths are 42 per cent higher than they were two decades a go go, with these types of fatalities now the leading cause of preventable deaths in the under 40s.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the organisation that collected the data, has warned that the UK is facing an 'accident crisis'.

Falls remained the nation's top accidental killer accounting for almost half of all deaths, followed by the accidental ingestion of medications, cleaning products or cosmetics, which accounted for one in four.

Transport accidents of all types, including vehicles like cars, bikes and boats, accounted for just seven per cent of all deaths.

The majority (55 per cent) of accidental deaths in 2022 occurred in the home.

Non-fatal accidents, those that only result in injury, are also on the rise, increasing by 48 per cent in the last two decades with 740,000 hospital admissions in England alone, 50,000 of these among children under 10.

Tragically, 61 of these resulted in children dying.

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Over 100 deaths from 'inanimate mechanical forces' like a bookshelf or other piece of furniture crushing someone were recorded last year.

Just over 30 fatalities from 'animate mechanical forces' like powered tools or lawnmowers were also included in the data for 2022.

Additionally, 22 deaths from accidents like electrical shocks and nearly 300 deaths from accidental drownings like in bathtubs were also recorded last year.

The RoSPA listed factors like being poorer and our aging population as potential contributors to the increasing numbers of people suffering an accident.

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 must take action now to stop further preventable deaths and serious injuries – accidents are avoidable and do not need to happen.

'The UK is facing an accident crisis.

'We are all substantially 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 are choking the UK economy and engulfing the NHS – taking up bed space, money, time and resources that could be directed to other serious illnesses.

One victim of an accidental injury who was lucky enough to survive was Brian Whitnall who chopped off two of his toes while mowing his lawn earlier this year.

The 50-year-old sales manager needed to stay in hospital for six days and have two operations after the accident.

'It was a warm Sunday and my partner Rachel was jetwashing the drive while I was cutting the grass,' Mr Whitnall said.

'As I was walking with my Flymo lawnmower, I stepped backwards and my foot caught on the stairs leading up to my grandson's trampoline. Next thing I'm falling backwards.

'Rather than letting go of the handle, which would have turned off the engine, I grabbed it tighter to try and steady myself and brought the lawnmower towards me.

'I felt a searing heat in my right foot and knew straight away that I'd lopped off some toes.'

Mr Whitnall was taken to hospital where doctors told him they were unable to re-attach the severed toes.

'I had two lots of surgery to try to "tidy up" the wound but sadly the toes – two in the middle on my right foot – are gone forever,' he said.

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

'After that, I had to wear a protective boot on my foot for several weeks.'