Almost 30 fail breath tests in Cleveland Police Christmas crackdown

The force say the 29 drivers were among 516 who have so far been stopped and tested as part of the annual campaign, which was launched on December 1.

Police are also using messaging on posters and beer mats with stern warnings to drivers about “dicing with death” if driving while drunk.

Police say that, between 2016 and 2020, there were 235 collisions in the force area where people were injured and alcohol was judged to be a factor and a further 142 where drugs were judged to have been a factor.

The majority of those found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs were aged between 17 and 34 years old and more than three quarters were male.

Chief Inspector Helen Wilson said: “We will continue with our educational messages throughout the festive period and into the new year, as we see a seasonal rise in drink and drug driving when more people go out to socialise.“We have stopped 516 drivers so far and whilst the majority of people have been law-abiding and have listened to our warnings, we will continue to carry out random stop checks on drivers in order to keep people as safe as we possibly can.”

She added: “The last thing we want is someone who gets behind the wheel whilst under the influence who ends up killing themselves or innocent people.“There really is no safe way to combine alcohol, drugs and driving.”