Police forces caught 770 drink-drive offenders

A total of 770 drivers were charged, compared to 750 last year and forces described the rise as "shocking".

Police said one driver was arrested every hour during the four-week campaign.

The statistics highlighted a 26% rise in offences over Hogmanay and the number of women caught increased by almost a third.

One of the worst cases recorded was that of a 37-year-old man from Kilwinning, in Ayrshire, who was caught allegedly more than five times over the legal limit.

An empty bottle of vodka was found in his car.

It is quite shameful that despite our pleas and warnings motorists are still willing to put their lives and those of innocent road users at risk by drinking and driving Ian Dickinson Vice-chairman, Acpos

In an incident in Glasgow, police stopped a 52-year-old motor mechanic who was allegedly drunk and incapable as he drove to work.

Northern Constabulary arrested and charged a 29-year-old man with crashing a car, leaving the scene of an accident and being more than three times over the drink-drive limit.

He was previously convicted of drink-driving in 2001.

Officers in Edinburgh found a 24-year-old man asleep at the wheel of a car on New Year's Day. The keys were in the ignition and he was over the legal limit.

However, police forces said they received "hundreds of calls" from members of the public who were willing to report drink-drivers.

In one incident, a 61-year-old man - described as an "habitual drink-driver" - was caught in Newtown St Boswells in the Scottish Borders on Hogmanay following a tip-off.

The vice-chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) expressed disappointment at the rise in drink-driving.

'Positive menace'

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Dickinson, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "It is quite shameful that despite our pleas and warnings motorists are still willing to put their lives and those of innocent road users at risk by drinking and driving.

"What is disturbing is the hard core number of motorists detected by police who have previous convictions for drink-driving but are still continuing to break the law.

"Let me make it absolutely clear. People who drink and drive, or just as bad, who take drugs and drive are a positive menace on our roads."

The fact that more people were prepared to report drink-drivers was welcomed by safety campaigners.

The drink drive limit needs to be lowered from 80mg to 50mg as soon as possible Mike McDonnell RoSPA

Jim McCreath of the Inverness Crime Prevention Panel said: "These people are driving recklessly, they are drinking and driving, they are going to hurt someone.

"It could be that person's friend that gets involved, it's not a case of just telling tales, it's about actively preventing an accident from happening."

Mike McDonnell, Scottish road safety manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said action was needed.

"The drink drive limit needs to be lowered from 80mg to 50mg as soon as possible, and in the longer term we should be looking to have a limit as near to zero alcohol as we can," he said.

"Lowering the drink-drive limit to 50mg could save 50 lives and prevent 250 serious injuries and 1,200 slight injuries each year in the UK.