Although 146,000 drivers were tested during December in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, only 6.6 per cent were found positive for alcohol consumption, 0.3 per cent fewer than in 2005.

The results emerged from what police are describing as their largest ever crackdown on drink driving in the UK.

The number of breath tests carried out was almost ten per cent higher than for past drink drive campaigns, said Meredydd Hughes, chief constable of South Yorkshire Police.

But police voiced concerns about the number of those given impairment tests who were found to have taken drugs.

Drivers with past convictions for driving under the influence of drink or drugs will not only incur fines and temporary disqualifications, but will also “certainly have to pay far higher premiums than before their conviction”, the Association of British Insurers states.

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