THERE has been a rise in the number of people arrested for drink and drug driving over the 2018 festive season in Merseyside, police figures have revealed.

Merseyside Police confirmed that there had been 322 arrests from December 1, 2018 until January 1, 2019 compared to 261 for the same period in 2017.

There was a 5% increase in the number of arrests for drink driving and a 28% increase for drug driving with 72% of the drink drivers being male with an average age of 40 while 93% of drug drivers were also male with an average age of 34.

This is the fourth Christmas drink and drug drive campaign since legislation was introduced in March 2015 and saw a total of 3,212 breath tests carried out.

Paul Mountford, from the Safer Roads Unit said: “It is incredibly disappointing to again see that the amount of people drink and drug driving has increased compared with the same period in 2017.

"While they represent a small minority of drivers, the potential danger they present, not just to themselves but to other road users and pedestrians cannot be ignored and should be taken extremely seriously.

"We are vigilant in tackling drink and drug driving throughout the year, not just over the festive period and I would like to remind road users that any driver involved in a road traffic collision, or who commits a traffic offence, can expect to be breathalysed and may have to complete an impairment test.

“I cannot stress enough that your ability to drive can be affected by even a modest amount of alcohol.

"Even if you are below the legal limit, alcohol still affects your judgement, placing you, your passengers and other road users at risk.

"Alcohol can remain in your system for many hours and you may still be over the limit or not fit to drive the following day.

“While the majority of road users listen to our messages and drive safely and responsibly, it is worrying to see a significant rise in those drug driving.

"I would like to let those individuals know that the current drug driving legislation makes the process of prosecuting drug drivers much simpler and our rates of prosecution are high.

"Think for a minute about the effects a drink or drug driving conviction will have on you and your family, the shame and ruin that it can bring.

"Do not think that you won’t get caught. Our officers conduct roadsides tests morning, afternoon and evening and we arrest countless drivers every month throughout the year. Don’t chance it – if you’re driving, it’s better to have none for the road."

During the campaign officers also handed out single-use breathalysers to drivers and hotels to encourage people to test themselves before driving the morning after a night of drinking.

Around 11% of the drink driving arrests during the campaign happened between the hours of 6am and 12pm.