Drink-driver caught seven times over legal limit

Police have revealed the results of their festive drink-drive campaign

A driver breathalysed in East Kilbride during the festive period was almost seven times over the legal limit, police have said.

The motorist was one of 565 who tested positive for drink-driving in the Christmas campaign.

Police Scotland said they were disappointed at the number of drivers failing the breath test.

The number of tests was almost half that of the previous year, with police taking a more targeted approach.

The force said this included the use of information received from the public.

A total of 8,632 drivers were tested after the campaign was launched in November 2018, compared to 15,771 in the previous year - when 625 were over the limit.

That meant one in 15 of the drivers tested had failed, compared to one in 28 the previous year.

Driven erratically

A total of 33 drivers were more than four times over the limit of 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath this year, with 23 drivers failing the morning after they had been drinking.

The motorist stopped in East Kilbride was caught as a result of calls from people concerned about a car being driven erratically.

The other incidents highlighted by police were:

• In North East Fife, a driver was more than four times the limit when he crashed his car.

• Members of the public reported a car being driven erratically on the M8 near Newhouse. The 22-year-old driver was found to be three times over the limit.

• Officers in Falkirk received information about a taxi driver who was stopped, without passengers, and tested. He was more than three times over the legal limit, and was banned for 16 months and fined £500.

• A 45-year-old woman was caught driving on the A76 between Kilmarnock and Mauchline in Ayrshire while five times over the limit.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said he was disappointed at the number of drivers who had failed to heed the warnings about drinking and driving.

But he said: "I am encouraged by the number of calls received from members of the public providing accurate information about drink-drivers, which helped officers to act promptly and stop them.

"The reduced number of people being stopped was due to a more targeted approach based on previous information about offending and calls from the public to police or Crimestoppers."

Police have made 64 requests to the procurator fiscal for vehicles involved in drink-driving incidents to be forfeited.