Thousands of drivers were tested

The proportion of people testing positive increased in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The percentage of people caught breaking the law in Lincolnshire was lower than last year.

Leicestershire Police said 75 out of the 1,336 drivers breathalysed tested positive for alcohol and four people refused to provide a sample.

This was a failure rate of 5.9% over the 15-day period between 18 December and 2 January.

We have tried to... concentrate our efforts on those who flout the legislation Chief Inspector Paul Berry

It compares with a figure of 4.9% over the previous Christmas and New Year.

Officers arrested 18 people for impairment, compared with 16 people last year.

Inspector Andy Chapman, head of the Road Policing Unit in Leicestershire and Rutland, said: "These people put their lives and the lives of other road users at risk, believing that one drink won't matter or that they simply won't get caught.

"It is important people realise a conviction for drinking and driving is incredibly serious."

Derbyshire Police said 120 drivers have either given positive breath tests or refused to give a sample and they received more than 100 calls from the public reporting drivers they suspect of breaking the law.

Law-abiding drivers

Derbyshire Chief Inspector Paul Berry said: "The percentage of people giving positive tests is higher than in previous years.

"This is partly because we have targeted those that we believe are regularly drinking and driving.

"We have tried to minimise disruption to the vast majority of law-abiding drivers and concentrate our efforts on those who flout the legislation."

In Lincolnshire, 126 people were breath tested after collisions and seven of them tested positive (5.6% compared to 4.1% the previous year).

Complete ban

A further 1368 drivers were tested after committing offences or being suspected of drinking, and 42 of them tested positive (3.1% compared to 9.1% last year).

The highest number of positive results in Lincolnshire were recorded in Spalding and Boston.

The number of people arrested for drink driving in Nottinghamshire trebled compared to last year.

One hundred and forty motorists were caught with more than the legal blood alcohol level.