POLICE say they are extremely disappointed by a massive increase in drink and drug drivers in the first nine days of their Christmas crackdown campaign.

In just nine days, 41 motorists have been arrested for drink or drug driving, an increase of 70 per cent on the same period last year, when 20 were arrested for drink driving, and four for driving under the influence of drugs.

This year, 29 were arrested over drink driving and 12 for drug driving, with the highest drink driving reading recorded so far provided by 36-year-old Stuart Gareth Williams from Wigginton, York, who was almost three-and-a-half times the legal drink drive limit - 118 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35mg per 100ml.

Sergeant Andy Morton of North Yorkshire Police’s Road Policing Group, said the number of arrests showed the effective work of the force, but the number was unacceptably high.

“It’s extremely disappointing to see that the messages about the dangers of drink and drug driving are ignored by some.

“North Yorkshire Police are committed to identifying, arresting and prosecuting drink and drug drivers and getting them off the road. The number of arrests made so far in the campaign reflect the fact that we are out on the roads and targeting those that choose to flout the law.”

Williams appeared before York Magistrates’ Court on Friday, December 9. and banned from driving for two years and three months.

He was also sentenced to a seven week curfew between 7pm and 7am, and ordered to pay an £85 victim surcharge. Last year’s Christmas campaign saw 124 arrested, a 20 per cent increase on the number of arrests in 2014 - an increase Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick called “staggering”.

Sgt Morton said this year’s campaign would continue and was deliberately hard hitting.

He said: “Year after year, we warn people of the dangers of drink and drug driving and the devastation it can cause. This year is no exception. Lorraine Allaway, the widow of a drink drive victim, has bravely shared her story with us, to show the real pain a family goes through when a love one is killed by a drink driver. Lorraine’s husband Bob was killed when a drunk driver collided with him head on.” The video supporting this year’s drink and drug driving campaign can be viewed at northyorkshire.police.uk