More people were caught drink driving in Macclesfield than any other part of Cheshire over the Christmas period, according to police figures.
Out of 148 arrests made for driving above the alcohol limit in December, Cheshire Police stopped and arrested 32 drivers in Macclesfield.
Twenty-seven arrests were made in Warrington and 25 in Crewe.
During the same month, officers arrested 86 motorists who were found to have drugs in their system, with 16 in Macclesfield.
Councillor Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South, said the lack of police presence and the town’s geography means more people take a risk.
She said: “It seems that drivers are taking risk because there aren’t the police to pick them up because there are fewer police on the roads and on the streets.
“Also Macclesfield is more spread out than Crewe. For example in my ward, on the Moss Estate, there is just one pub I think and people are travelling to pubs. Another issue is that you have cheap alcohol, with people pre-loading before they go out.”
Macclesfield MP David Rutley added: “There is simply no excuse for drink or drug driving. Any driver that does this should be aware that they are putting others’ lives at risk, whether pedestrians or road users, as well as their own.
“I would like to thank Cheshire Constabulary for its ongoing commitment to tackling drink and drug driving, and reiterate its message that if drivers are behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs they will be caught and face the consequences. It is vital that this message is heard loud and clear.”
Councillor James Nicholas, who represents Bollington, praised the police for their efforts.
He said: “It is great that the police are enforcing the law on drink driving and doing something about it. It doesn’t matter where you are drink or drug driving, if you are over the limit it is dangerous. They have potentially taken more than 30 drivers off the road, who made their choice to drink.”
Despite being the highest in the borough, the figures show that fewer people were arrested in December 2017 than 2016, when 156 people were arrested for drink driving and 111 were caught with drugs in their system. But Superintendent Paul Beauchamp, Cheshire police’s taskforce lead, said it’s ‘astonishing’ how many people think they are safe to drive after they have been drinking or using drugs.
He said: “Year after year we hear about people who think they are safe to drive because they don’t ‘feel’ affected by the alcohol or drugs they’ve consumed.
“Despite there being 34 fewer arrests than last year it is still astonishing to see how many people continue to believe it is acceptable to drive under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs is extremely dangerous; it affects your reaction time, making it harder for you to judge your speed, judge your distance between you and other vehicles and notice potential hazards. All of this means that you are more likely to be involved in a collision.”
Police say all of those convicted are now likely to face driving bans and large fines.
Superintendent Beauchamp added: “The consequences of drink and drug driving can be devastating, not only for the driver of the vehicle but their families and innocent members of the public. The message is clear, if you drive while under the influence of drink or drugs in Cheshire, you will be caught.”
