THE number of motorists arrested for driving under the influence of drink or drugs over Christmas in Merseyside increased last year. 

During its 'What's The Cost' campaign, which ran from December 1 until New Year's Day, police carried out 5026 breath tests and arrested 261 people for drink or drug driving-related offences, which compares to a total of 203 arrests in the 2016 campaign.

They arrested 125 for drink drive offences, a rise of 14 on the previous year, when 111 people were stopped.

The total number of drug drive arrests was 136, an increase from 92 in 2016.

The figures, show a 2.5% fail rate for breath tests compared to 1.5% in 2016.

In terms of gender and age, 76% of 'drink drivers' and 94% of 'drug drivers' were male; 58 per cent were aged between 17-30 years.

The average age of 'drink drivers' was 38 and the average age of 'drug drivers' was 30 years.

It was the third Christmas drink and drug drive campaign since legislation was introduced in March 2015 to make it easier for police to tackle drug drivers.

Casualty reduction officer Paul Mountford, from the Roads Policing Unit said: "It is disappointing that we have seen an increase in motorists arrested for drug and drink driving.

"While they represent a small minority of drivers, I cannot stress enough the danger that these people present, not just to themselves, but to other road users too.

"The current drug driving legislation makes the process of prosecuting drug drivers much simpler and our rates of prosecution are high.

"Our message to those drivers would be don't risk it.

"The consequences of being caught can be life-changing.

"We will remain vigilant throughout 2018 to find those drivers who present a risk to other road users.

"We are committed to tackling drink and drug driving throughout the year, not just during the Christmas period.

"Any driver involved in a road traffic collision, or who commits a traffic offence, can expect to be breathalysed at any time in the year, and may be required to perform an impairment test."