DRIVERS in East Lancashire were today praised after police revealed a reduction in the number of drink-driving offences.

The number of positive breath tests in the region has dropped by nearly half on the same time last year.

Police conducting roadside breath tests say people in East Lancashire are very much behind this year's Christmas campaign.

There have been 52 drink-related accidents in the county since the campaign's launch two weeks ago, but police say this is a reduction on last year, and that people in East Lancashire are actively supporting the campaign.

Chief Inspector Ian Bell, Lancashire police's head of road safety, says: "The high profile checkpoints are proving very successful, and we are stopping many thousands of people. There are certainly fewer people out drink-driving in the evenings and early hours, and this is reflected in the reduced number of drink related accidents."

He added: "I have had a number of calls from people backing the campaign, and many of these have come from East Lancashire. We are getting a lot of support from the drivers who are being stopped, and a survey we conducted at checkpoints showed that only two out of 200 people opposed the checks."

Margaret Hodson of Blackburn Area Road Safety Association says: "These checks are a good idea because they will deter some of those irresponsible people who continue to drink and drive. Sensible drivers will not mind being stopped, because the checks are bound to cut the amount of accidents."

Blackburn police say that their checkpoints will continue to move around the area.

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