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Hundreds of drink and drug drivers arrested

Avon and Somerset Police The scene of a crash in which a car has collided with a telegraph pole and come to a stop in a hedgerow next to the road. The car is a small, dark blue hatchback, with the front completely crumpled and the bonnet lifted. A large dark brown telegraph pole is visible, knocked down by the crash. There is lots of debris near the car. Avon and Somerset Police
A 17-year-old boy was one of the 241 people arrested by Avon and Somerset Police

Hundreds of motorists were arrested in December after being found over the limit for alcohol or drugs.

A 17-year-old boy was among the arrests, after a car containing five people crashed into a telegraph pole in Pucklechurch, south Gloucestershire, on 15 December.

Nobody in the car sustained serious injuries and he was later charged with driving while over the alcohol limit and without a license or third-party insurance.

Avon and Somerset Police made 241 arrests over the course of the month using a range of tactics, including public reports and stop check sites.

Drink driving accounted for 62% of arrests, while drug driving offences accounted for 38%.

The most common age group was drivers aged between 25 and 34, accounting for 32% of arrests, followed by 35 to 44-year-olds (24%) and under-25s (20%).

Nearly 90% of those arrested were male.

Ch Insp Robert Cheeseman, who leads the force's roads policing and road safety unit, said: "Choosing to drive while impaired is not just illegal—it's a deeply irresponsible act that can shatter lives in an instant."

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