Festive drink-drive offenders in West Yorkshire rose by 50 per cent, stats reveal

In December 2017, an average of eight people were arrested a day - a total of 264 people.

But during the latest campaign, a total of 376 were pulled over and arrested for either being over the alcohol limit, or by testing positive for banned substances, which is more than 12 people a day.

Every operational police vehicle in West Yorkshire had a breathalyser kit as part of the ‘Not the Usual Suspects’ campaign to raise awareness of the consequences of getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

In total from 1 December, 2018, to 1 January, 2019, there were 284 arrests for drink driving and 92 arrests for drug driving.

The youngest person arrested was 15-years-old and the oldest person arrested was 84-years-old.

Of these arrests, 77 were from the Wakefield district. This is compared to 42 being caught in the district in 2017.

Chief Inspector Chris Corkindale, head of roads policing, said: “The public’s response in reporting people they believed to be drink or drug driving has been immense. It is a simple fact that getting behind the wheel while under the influence of drink or drugs puts yourself and others at risk, which can never be acceptable.

“The hundreds of people we’ve arrested over the last month are now facing a new year with the prospect of losing their licence and potentially their livelihood depending on the job they do."