Police slam 500 drink drivers caught in town

MORE than 500 people have been caught drink driving in the town over the last five years.

Figures obtained from Cheshire Police also show that the number caught in Macclesfield and Poynton rose by almost a quarter from 78 in 2013 to 100 in 2014.

The rise has disappointed Cheshire Police, which saw levels fall dramatically in the year before from 122 in 2012.

Superintendent Beverley Raistrick warned drivers that they are risking their own and other people’s lives. She said: “My officers have to deal with the devastating aftermath that drink drivers leave behind on a daily basis.

“Not only are they responding to collisions, but they are also working with the families of innocent victims who have been killed as a result of drink driving.

“Although in recent years we have seen a decrease in the number of offenders, it is disappointing to see that there was an increase in the number of drink drive arrests in the Macclesfield area in 2014.

“The key message that I am looking to get across is the fact that there is no safe drink drive limit, and the fact that just one drink could be the difference between life and death.

“Everybody is different, and although you may feel that you are safe to drive, even a small amount of alcohol can affect your driving.

“I am specifically appealing to the parents of young motorists to ask them set an example and to speak to their children about the dangers of drink driving and the devastat- ing effects that it could have on their lives.

“By working together we can help reduce the number of deaths on our roads.”

The figures obtained using the Freedom of Information Act also reveal young drivers are not the worst offenders for drink driving.

Police have caught 132 drink drivers who are over-50 since 2010, 114 aged 40 to 49 and 85 motorists aged 30 to 39.

At the other end of the range only six under-18s and 99 people aged 18 to 24 were caught drink driving. Meanwhile the number of drink drivers aged 25 to 29 doubled last year from seven in 2013 to 14 in 2014.

Over the five years, 66 drivers were collared.

During the five-year period almost 2,900 drink drivers were caught across eastern Cheshire.

The most offenders were in Crewe (719), then Congleton (634), Macclesfield (502), Wilmslow (359), Knutsford (314) and Nantwich (321).

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