MORE people were caught drink-driving in Lancashire than any other police force area, new figures have shown.

In 2017 Lancashire Police arrested 6,842 motorists for driving over the legal alcohol limit in 2017, which was more than any other force.

Nationally 57,613 drivers were caught over the limit last year, which is equivalent to 158 offences per day, on average.

A total of 10,121 were arrested for the same offence in the North West.

The figures were released by Confused.com which has created a ‘morning after calculator’, which they say can help drivers find out how much alcohol could still be in their system after a night of drinking, and estimate how long they’ll have to wait before it leaves their body.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: “There are a worrying number of people confused about how long they should wait between drinking alcohol and driving, and this has led to hundreds of motorists in the North West being caught drunk behind the wheel each month.

“With December and Christmas party season just around the corner, we’ve created a morning-after calculator that gives an idea as to how much alcohol is still in your system, and how long it typically takes to leave your body to give a quick indication of when you might be safe to drive.

“Drink driving can seriously impact the safety of our roads and put other road users at risk. Not only this, but it can land drivers with a fine or driving ban, which can have a negative impact on their car insurance premiums. To avoid getting caught out, we suggest drivers stop drinking early if they know they have to get behind the wheel in the morning, but the best advice would be to avoid drinking alcohol at all.”

The statistics have been released just days after Lancashire Police launched its Christmas drink-driving campaign.

The festive crackdown will see high profile enforcement activity taking place across the county throughout the month of December, including checkpoints at key locations where officers will conduct drink and drugs tests.

Insp Andy Trotter said: “We want people to have fun this Christmas but to remember the consequences of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“If you drive at twice the legal alcohol limit you are at least 30 times more likely to cause a road collision than a driver who hasn’t been drinking, potentially resulting in serious injury.”