CHRISTMAS drink-drive figures released this week show that Lancashire has bucked the national trend with a fall in the number of arrests.

Statistics from Lancashire Police show a significant drop in the number of people caught driving while over the limit compared to the picture across the rest of the country.

135 people were arrested for testing positive or failing to provide a breath test in Lancashire, a total of 4.7 per cent of the total of 3,158 tests carried out.

This compares to last year's 237 arrests out of 3,882 tests or 6.1 per cent.

The average across the country was 7 per cent.

Chief Inspector Ian Bell, Lancashire's Road Policing Co-ordinator, said: "It is very encouraging that the position in Lancashire appears to be better than that elsewhere in the country.

"The results clearly indicate that the road users in the county acted in a most responsive manner to both the national and local drink drive campaign.

"There is still obviously a hard core of people who drink and drive but the message to them is that we are determined to continue clamping down on this crime."