Dozens of road safety schemes in Hampshire are to be axed by the cash-strapped county council.

Highway chiefs say top priority schemes, "reducing death and injury on our roads", will still go ahead as will the Safer Routes to School programme.

But a total of 28 schemes, costing £5m, have been shelved indefinitely.

In Winchester, they include Badger Farm cycle crossing, traffic-calming in Sparkford Road, closed-circuit television and electronic signs in city centre car parks.

In addition, 17 projects costing £2.8m will be delayed for at least a year.

Keith House Lib-Dem environment spokesman, has accused the council of "over-ambitious programming" and "poor estimation".

"Many of these road safety schemes have been worked up for years with communities," he said. "This will see delays in safer junctions, new safe cycle routes, bus and rail schemes, and projects to tackle town centre congestions.

"Yet there has been no apology for this mismanagement and people in local communities have not been told their safety plans have been squashed."

But environment chief, Keith Estlin, said Mr House was "misguided" and too quick to write off these schemes when it was not the case.

He added that the £14m Government award for Hampshire's capital transport programme had not been enough to start all the schemes.

"Given our severe pressures, finding the money from our own resources was not an option," he added.