GOVERNMENT officials have been forced to issue an official warning after ‘numerous’ deer carcasses were cleared from a busy Dorset road at the end of April.

Police had to close part of the A35 Puddletown bypass on one particular evening while five dead deer were picked up from a short stretch of the westbound carriageway.

Days later, an injured stag had to be put down by armed police on the A338 Spur Road in Bournemouth. Part of the southbound carriageway was shut during the incident.

The incidents have led to a new campaign between The Deer Initiative and Highways England, the agency responsible for motorways and major A-roads.

Leonardo Gubert, senior ecologist at Highways England, said: “Sadly, the outcome of a collision involving a deer can be much more catastrophic than vehicle damage or injury to the animal.

“You may be well-travelled and on a well-known route without a previous sighting, but there may be deer hidden in nearby foliage or woodlands and some species of deer can gather often in large groups; you may have seen one and avoided it but others may follow and unexpectedly dart out into the roadway.

“We want everyone travelling on our roads to reach their destination safely and with as many as 1.5 million wild deer living across Britain it is vital for drivers to be aware of their presence, to be extra vigilant, especially at this time of year when deer are on the move, and to follow our advice.”

Motorists should check their speed and stay alert in areas where deer signs are displayed. Headlights should be dipped in there is a deer on the road as the animal may ‘freeze’ rather than run off. If one deer is seen, a driver should check for others as they often gather in herds.

David Jam, director of The Deer Initiative, said: “The recent spate of accidents is a stark reminder about the dangers of deer on our roads. We urge drivers to check their speed and stay alert especially when they see deer warning signs or are travelling through a heavily wooded or forested stretch of road.”

Figures collated from a number of studies suggest that while it is safe to say 40,000 deer are killed in vehicle collisions every year, this figure could be as high as 74,000 across Britain as a whole.