A DRIVER who passed his test a week before he was arrested for drink driving has been banned from the roads.

Fraser Dias, 18, of Harrogate, was arrested in the town on suspicion of drink driving and blew more than twice the legal limit when officers breathalysed him.

He was fined £120 and banned from driving for 20 months when he appeared in court last Thursday.

Dias is one of several motorists arrested during North Yorkshire's drink and drug Christmas campaign.

Officers arrested 123 drivers on suspicion of drink or drug driving under the North Yorkshire-wide campaign during December.

Many of those charged are due in court in the coming weeks.

Several people have already been sentenced by magistrates this month, including Steven Burns, 39, of York, who was banned for 18 months and fined £311 after he was charged with drink driving in York.

Varrie Edwards, 45, of Carlton Miniott near Thirsk, was also banned for 18 months and fined £120 after being charged with drink driving in Carlton Miniott.

Ben Scott, 19, of Bentham, was banned for 22 months, and given a 12-week curfew and ordered to pay £250 compensation after being charged with drink driving and aggravated vehicle taking in Burton in Lonsdale, whilst Laura Camsey, 22, of Ripon, was banned for 20 months and fined £384 after being charged with drink driving in Ripon.

Other sentences included Sylvia Horsman, 75, of Harrogate, who was banned for 12 months and fined £200 after being charged with drink driving in Harrogate and Zaheer Ahmed, 47, of Batley, West Yorkshire, who was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £300 after being charged with drink driving in Staxton, Ryedale.

North Yorkshire Police said that the number of drink and drug drivers arrested across the county fell by 10 per cent this December compared to last, with lower average breathalyser readings and far fewer heavily-intoxicated drivers.

Sergeant Andy Morton, of North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group, said: “When we respond to crashes involving drunk or drugged-up drivers, we witness the indescribable carnage they cause to themselves and innocent people. If you saw what I saw, I guarantee you’d never even consider driving under the influence.

“That’s why we’ll continue to work with our 95 Alive road safety partners on education campaigns to change behaviours and carry out enforcement work throughout 2019 to get as many drink and drug drivers as possible banned from North Yorkshire’s roads."