ALMOST 150 suspected drink-drivers were pulled over across the North East last month.
A month-long operation by Northumbria Police in December saw almost five drivers a day arrested in various locations across the force.
Of the 146 people arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, 101 have been charged or summonsed with offences.
They include 15 men and five women in Northumberland.
Motor Patrols Chief Inspector George Maratty said: “Drink-driving costs and ruins lives, and although we ran this specific operation in December, we will continue to pro-actively target drink-drivers and get as many of them off the roads and in front of the courts as possible.”
During the operation, officers carried out roadside breath tests on all drivers involved in crashes or caught committing moving traffic offences, such as speeding, as well as on anyone suspected of drink-driving or attempting to drive after consuming too much alcohol.
Anyone convicted of such an offence could be banned from the road for at least 12 months, fined up to £5,000 or face a prison sentence.
Chief Insp Maratty has called on the public to help support officers’ work in tackling the problem.
“We take reports of drink-drivers extremely seriously and a call reporting a driver who is over the limit could be saving lives on the roads,” he said.
“We will always act on information passed to us as it could be the difference between life and death, and anyone who sees a driver who they think has consumed too much alcohol to drive is urged to report them to police straight away.”