The forces ran campaigns during the festive season

The numbers of people arrested by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) rose by 6% over the Christmas period, after 479 people were arrested between 2 December and 4 January.

During Merseyside's Operation Nemesis campaign between 4 December and 2 January, 191 people were arrested.

In Lancashire, the force said more than 1,500 people were breath tested.

Despite holding back the figures for how many were arrested, police said there was a significant fall in drink driving in the county over Christmas.

GMP 'commitment'

In Greater Manchester, the total number of breath tests conducted was 3,736, an increase of 25% compared to last year.

Of this number, 479 arrests were made for drink driving, an increase of 6% in the same period last year.

Inspector Brian Wood from GMP said: "This increase shows GMP's continued, strong commitment to tackling drink-driving, and we will be continuing to apprehend offenders throughout the year.

"The arrest of 479 drink drivers over has meant that hundreds of families may have been saved from tragedy over the Christmas period."

Merseyside campaign

On Merseyside more than 4,700 vehicles were stopped in road checks over the four weeks of Operation Nemesis.

A total of 1,319 people were tested during the Nemesis campaign with 191 being arrested for refusing to give a breath test or for failing to provide one.

Inspector Dave Bell from Merseyside Police said: "Drinking and driving is now increasingly socially and morally unacceptable, but the fact remains that there is a minority of highly irresponsible people out there who persist in driving after they've been drinking.

"We will be continuing to target those who drink and drive throughout the year as a priority and the force remains committed to ridding the streets of Merseyside of the menace of drink drivers."

1,500 Lancashire tests

In Lancashire, the force did not release figures for the total numbers of arrests made during the Christmas period.

But they did say there had been a 4% drop in the number of drivers testing positive after a collision.

Chief Inspector Tracy O'Gara from Lancashire Police said: "Over the festive season we carried out a number of high visibility road-checks as part of our drink-drive campaign and administered more than 1,500 breath tests.

"Although there does still seem to be a hard core of people who are determined to drink and drive - recklessly endangering other road users - this year's reduction is nonetheless significant.