MORE than 200 arrests were made across North Wales as part of a police crackdown on drink and drug driving.

North Wales Police's Christmas Anti Drink and Drug Drive Campaign, which ran from December 1 to January 1, saw 100 drink drive arrests and 101 drug drive arrests made across the region.

Every year police forces across Wales step up their patrols in a crackdown on motorists under the influence of drink and drugs in the lead up to the festive period. Officers from the Roads Policing Unit, Armed Alliance, local policing as well as the Special Constabulary were deployed across North Wales to carry out stop checks and used intelligence-led tactics and local knowledge of hotspot areas to detect people who were driving whilst under the influence.

Superintendent Jane Banham, head of the Roads Policing Unit for North Wales Police, said: “More than 200 drivers had a Christmas and New Year to remember for all the wrong reasons – after being arrested on suspicion of drink and drug driving.

“Over recent months we’ve seen people who work in a variety of professions – including self-employed, being arrested and facing prosecution, job loss and financial penalties."

In March 2015, the drug driving law changed to make it easier for police to convict drug-drivers. Sixteen legal and illegal drugs are covered by the law including cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine. The limits for all illegal drugs are extremely low – taking even a very small amount of an illegal drug could put drivers over the limit.

Supt Banham added: “We have specialist roadside testing kits that can detect whether a person is under the influence of drugs in just eight minutes.

“I don’t think people are quite grasping the full extent of the danger drug-driving poses. Those that do take the risks clearly don't think about the families of those who have died at the hands of a driver who is on high on drugs.

“It has been proven that both drink and drugs can impair a person’s ability to drive and we hope the message from our campaign gets through – it is never acceptable to drive whilst under the influence.”