A flyer has been produced to back up the drink-drive campaign

A new flyer shows a coffin and a parcel side-by-side with the wording: "What box would you like for Christmas?"

The move comes in response to figures showing a 20% increase in motorists caught over the limit in the region compared with last year.

Police are keen to get the message across to drivers aged 17 to 25, where figures have risen even more sharply.

We will be out on the roads in force and you will be stopped - one way or another Insp Gordon McKnight

Insp Gordon McKnight said he felt the use of the shocking design was justified.

"I agree that the image we have used is pretty grim but so are road traffic collisions, especially those where someone has been killed," he said.

"The figures showing an increase in drinking and driving were a real shock to us and we knew we had to take a robust stand."

He said the rise in young people drinking and driving was "frightening".

"The message in Dumfries and Galloway is just don't do it," he said.