A campaign to cut the number of drink-drivers in north Wales over Christmas has been hailed a success after a fall of nearly a quarter on last year.

Figures show 58 people were caught driving while over the legal limit of alcohol compared to 77 over the same period last year.

It does seem that the messages we gave out before and during the festive period... have had some affect quote here Mark Owen North Wales Police

However, police chiefs warned that the number of people taking illegal drugs and driving was rising.

North Wales Police Chief Inspector Mark Owen said: "I have no doubt that drug-driving is an increasing problem.

"We are working hard to ensure that our officers have the necessary skills and focus to tackle the problem head on before it escalates further."

Road accidents

During the campaign which ran between 18 December and 3 January four motorists were arrested for driving while unfit through drugs.

The arrests follow a scheme introduced last year which trains officers how to detect and prosecute drug-driving offences.

In the drink-driving campaign, a total of 1408 drivers were breath tested and of those that tested positive, 10 did so after being involved in a road traffic collision.

That figure compares with 24 in the previous year.

Chief Inspector Mark Owen said: "It does seem that the messages we gave out before and during the festive period, together with deliberately high profile and visible breath testing activity, have had some affect with the amount of drivers found over the limit last year."