ALMOST 550 motorists were caught drinking and driving in Lancashire during a summer blitz by police.

But officers says the results show the number of people breaking the law is on the decline.

The six-week swoop took place in July and August and was aimed at people using their cars after lunchtime or evening drinking sessions during the warmer weather.

The man in charge of the clampdown, Insp Peter Stas, said: "This year we carried out 6,086 tests and found 545 motorists were positive. Although this represents almost nine per cent of the total, it is a dramatic improvement on last year's comparable figure of more than 16 per cent."

The number of tests carried out this summer was also sharply up on last year because of a change of policy.

Mr Stas commented: "When this campaign started on July 16 we decided to introduce our new force policy of breath testing all drivers involved in accidents.

"So although we carried out nearly three times as many tests as last year, the percentage of drink drivers has actually fallen.

"Although I am encouraged that the message seems to be getting through to the public in general, I am still concerned about the hard-core of motorists who continue to ignore our advice.

"Those people will now have to face the full force of the law as they are dealt with by the courts."

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