Cheshire Police arrested 227 county drivers during its festive crackdown on drink or drug driving.
Among those were 25 people in Crewe and Nantwich area arrested for driving under influence of drugs – the highest of any area of the county, and a rise on previous years.
Another 23 were arrested in Crewe and Nantwich for drink driving, a slight drop on previous years.
Across Cheshire the operation, which ran from December 1 to January 1, resulted in 140 arrested for drink driving and 87 arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of illegal drugs.
They are now likely to face driving bans and large fines, police chiefs have warned.
David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: “I am disappointed to see some motorists on Cheshire’s roads have not followed warnings issued by Cheshire Police to not drive whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“People know the dangers of drink and drug driving, yet we’ve still seen drivers put their own lives and the lives of other road users and pedestrians in danger over the Christmas period.
“Cheshire police are continuing to work hard to tackle this behaviour and I’d like to thank all the emergency services who worked hard over the festive season to keep our roads safe.”
All roads policing officers across Cheshire are equipped with alcohol testing kits and drugs wipes.
These instantly detect whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while behind the wheel.
There were 1,230 breath tests carried out, resulting in 140 arrests, and 123 drug tests leading to 87 arrests.
Superintendent Jo Marshall-Bell, of Cheshire’s road policing unit, said: “There has been a slight increase in arrests over last year and it is astounding to see how many people continue to believe it is acceptable to drive under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
“Over the campaign period we took a much more focused, intelligence-led, approach, targeting the ‘who, when, where’, which has been borne out in the results.
“Driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs is extremely dangerous; it affects your reaction time, making it harder for you to judge your speed, judge your distance between you and other vehicles and notice potential hazards. All of this means that you are more likely to be involved in a collision.
“The consequences of drink and drug driving can be devastating, not only for the driver of the vehicle but their families and innocent members of the public.
“We are committed to reducing the number of alcohol and drug related deaths on our roads, and my officers will use all of the tools available to them to help us achieve our goal.
“I also want to reassure residents that, although this operation has concluded, it is an issue that we continue to target seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“The message is clear, if you drive whilst under the influence of drink or drugs in Cheshire, you will be caught.”
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