POLICE carried out increased numbers of roadside breath tests during the festive campaign compared to the previous year, although the number of offenders caught was reduced.

Officers in West Yorkshire had previously revealed that 149 people in the county had been charged with drink driving over the festive period, but had not revealed how many motorists had been tested.

Inspector Joanne Field, who leads West Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “These figures make it clear that the steady decline in drink driving charges is not simply because less people are being breathalysed.

“Our officers were even more vigilant in December and checking drivers are using the roads safely and responsibly.”