Large increase in arrests for drink drivers across Leicestershire

Police have urged Leicestershire motorists not to drive or take drugs after arresting 71 people for driving under the influence this month - a massive increase on the figures for June 2018.
Leicestershire Police are conducting a summer drink drive campaign EMN-190621-105951001Leicestershire Police are conducting a summer drink drive campaign EMN-190621-105951001
Leicestershire Police are conducting a summer drink drive campaign EMN-190621-105951001

Officers on the county force are conducting a month-long summer drink drug campaign and among the offenders they have caught was a driver who was found to be more than three times the legal limit on a roadside breath test.

Leicestershire Police have made 63 drink and eight drug drive arrests after three weeks of the initiative - considerably more than the 34 drink and six drug drivers arrested over the same period a year ago.

Jonathan Clarkson, spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership, said: “The number of arrests so far this month is already much higher compared to last June and with the approach of another weekend we fully expect this to increase significantly.

“Quite clearly, drivers are still not getting our road safety messages, if you choose to drink or drug drive you will get caught.

“Patrols are operating around the clock, across the police force area, making arrests in not only the city but also our towns and villages - it is just not worth the risk.”

Police say 44 of the arrests were made in the city conurbation and eight of them in the Charnwood district.

Of those arrested, 18 were following a road traffic collision, 14 involved a driver aged 24 or under and 60 of them were male motorists.