More than 1,400 motorists were stopped in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire in December as part of a crackdown on drink and drug drivers.

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) annual operation, which ran from December 1 to January 1, saw campaigns run by every police force in England and Wales to target drink and drug driving, particularly around Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The Beds, Cambs, and Herts Road Policing Unit stopped a total of 1,410 vehicles in December as part of the campaign, administering 605 breath tests and 44 drug tests. Of these, 45 were positive, refused or failed breath tests and 22 of these were positive drug tests.

Inspector Chris Huggins, from the BCH Road Policing Unit, said: “Sadly, we are still seeing far too many drivers on our roads who make the decision to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs. This is not acceptable.

“A lot of campaigning has been done, and continues to be done across the country to change behaviours and educate people on the dangers of drink and drug driving and for the majority of people it is socially unacceptable and something they would never consider doing, however there are still drivers who do think it is acceptable to risk the lives of others.”

Nationally almost 100,000 vehicles were stopped, with more than 91,000 breath tests being administered during December 2017, resulting in 5,922 arrests.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, NPCC lead for roads policing, said: “Despite forces sharing heart-wrenching tales of local families who face Christmas without loved ones because of drink or drug driving, the percentage of breath tests taken following a collision that were positive, refused or failed remained the same as in 2016 (9.2 per cent) – a reminder that it is never worth the risk to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”