MORE than 200 people were arrested for drink and drug-driving offences across Sussex in four weeks.

During its annual Christmas crackdown between December 1 and January 1, Sussex Police arrested 212 people for offences on the county's roads.

There was an approximate 50-50 split between drink-driving and drug-driving offences.

Officers run the crack down campaign in conjunction with the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and DriveSmart in Surrey twice a year, to target offenders and engage with motorists in order to protect the public.

During the same period, Surrey Police made 186 arrests.

Chief Inspector Michael Hodder, of the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “These statistics show that there is still a minority of people who think drink and drug-driving is acceptable, with little regard to their lives or those of other people.

“There is simply no excuse for this and we will always take these incidents extremely seriously.

“Fortunately, the vast majority of road users are sensible and law-abiding but there are still some people who refuse to comply.

“It cannot be overstated how enormous the consequences of drink and drug-driving are.

"Even a small amount of alcohol or drugs can impair your judgement and seriously increase the risk of you injuring or killing yourself or someone else.

“We will be identifying anyone who is convicted as a result of this campaign, and we hope that this will serve as an extra deterrent to those people who refuse to stop this unacceptable behaviour.”

On New Year's Eve, a minibus which was transporting workers for their shift on the A259 "careered over a roundabout" leaving the vehicle heavily damaged.

PC McArthur said the driver was found to be "more than twice the drink-drive limit" during a roadside breath test.

Anyone who is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs should be "prepared to face the consequences", police said.

Apart from the possibility of causing death or serious harm to yourself and others, penalties include a minimum 12 month driving ban, an unlimited fine, a possible prison sentence and a criminal record.

Convicted offenders could also face an increase in their car insurance costs and trouble travelling to countries such as the USA.

Anyone who is aware of someone who is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is urged to call 999.