THE number of motorists arrested during the West Yorkshire Police annual festive crackdown on drink and drug driving has soared.

The force has revealed that the latest initiative, which ran from November 20 until New Year's Day, resulted in 459 arrests.

Of those, 271 were for drink driving, 168 for drug driving and 20 for failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis.

During the previous year's campaign, there were 335 arrests in total – 221 for drink driving, 95 for drug driving and 19 for failing to provide a sample. The duration of the crackdown was slightly shorter ­– it ran from December 1, 2021, to New Year's Day 2022.

In the latest initiative the West Yorkshire force carried out increased enforcement activity in support of the National Police Chiefs’ Council drink and drug drive operation, but also staged its own awareness campaign – The Cost, which aimed to highlight the consequences of being convicted of a drink or drug driving offence.

A force spokesperson said: "These consequences could be losing your licence, car or job; spending Christmas in a cell or in the worst-case scenario having to live with the knowledge that you have seriously injured or killed someone.

"Our roads policing unit works all year round to enforce the 'fatal five' and keep the roads of West Yorkshire safe."

The so-called fatal five are careless driving, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, excessive speed and distracted driving, including mobile phone use.