Police arrest 33 Harrogate motorists during Christmas drink and drug driving campaign

At the start of December, North Yorkshire Police set out their focus to target drink and drug drivers on the roads of North Yorkshire.

The campaign has ended for another year and the results reveal that in 32 days, they conducted 1,035 roadside tests.

- 121 people were arrested in total

- 73 arrests for drink driving

- 40 arrests for drug driving

- 9 people were arrested for failing to provide a sample

- 1 person was arrested for both drink and drug driving

- 18 of the arrests were following a road traffic collision

The drink and drug driving operation is part of the Fatal 5 campaign – a significant part of York and North Yorkshire’s Road Safety Partnership’s Safer Roads strategy.

North Yorkshire firefighters rescue horse trapped in floodwater in Harrogate district

The message from the partnership this year was “Save a Life and Call it in” and North Yorkshire Police worked alongside their partners to educate people and spread this message across the county.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “We’ve received a significant amount of calls about potential drink and drug drivers over the past month and more often than not, these calls have resulted in arrests and most likely the prevention of serious collisions.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made these reports, there's no question that you all play your part in making our roads safer places to be.

"The Christmas campaign may have ended for another year, but the message remains the same 'Save a life, call it in'.”

If you suspect someone is or is about to drink or drug drive, you are encouraged to report it to the police by calling 999 or if you have other information about a drink or drug driver, call 101.

North Yorkshire Police added: “We will never give up on the fight to make the roads in North Yorkshire a safer place for everyone and rest assured, we're working hard to take drink and drug drivers off the road all year round.”

The latest cases to be heard at Harrogate Magistrates Court between December 20 and December 23