FIVE people were killed in Cheshire and 56 seriously injured when driving in the rain in 2015, new figures have revealed.

The worrying figures come as Highways England launch its ‘When it rains, it kills’ safety campaign to highlight dangers of driving in the rain.

The latest statistics showed people are 30 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the roads in rain than in snow.

In Cheshire, there were five deaths and 56 serious injuries in the rain, compared to three serious injuries in snow and five serious injuries in fog.

In total, 197 people died on roads during rainfall in Great Britain last year and 2,721 suffered a serious injury.

There were 14 deaths and 153 serious injuries during fog, and two deaths and 95 serious injuries during snow during the same period.

Richard Leonard, Highways England’s head of road safety, said: “Most of us already slow down in snow, ice or fog but when it rains we consider it normal so don’t adapt our driving.

“The sad fact is that 2,918 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads in Great Britain when it was raining last year, and not slowing down to suit the current conditions was identified as a factor in one in 9 of all road deaths.

“Rain makes it harder for tyres to grip the road and harder for drivers to see ahead – significantly increasing the chances of being involved in a collision.

“We’ve launched our new campaign to make drivers aware of the dangers and to stay safe.”

Highways England is aiming to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on England’s motorways and major A roads by 40 per cent by 2020 through road improvements, safety campaigns and other initiatives.

As part its new campaign, rain-activated paint messages will be visible to people leaving motorway services when it is raining.

Additionally, a road safety video has also been produced, directed by award-winning photographer Nadav Kander.

The video shows rain falling inside the home of a family imagined to have been involved in a serious road collision.