A total of 44 people in Bucks have been arrested in Bucks during the first stage of a Christmas drink-driving crackdown.

Thames Valley Police say that between December 1 to 14 they have arrested a total of 117 people on suspicion of drink driving across Bucks, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

This is down 10 per cent on the 130 arrests made during the same period last year.

The ‘Is it worth the risk?’ campaign was launched on Monday, December 1, and is aimed at targeting drink and drug drivers over the festive period. It is estimated that over 5500 people have so far been breath tested.

Chief Inspector for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Roads Policing Unit, Henry Parsons said: “It’s worrying that some people are still making the wrong choices, deciding to drink and drive when there are alternatives available.

“I’m grateful for the public support for this campaign that has helped us to be in the right places, at the right times to make these arrests. We’ll continue to target drink drivers every single day of the year, not just during campaign periods. It isn’t worth the risk.”

Of those arrested, 93 were men (a 15 per cent decrease) and 24 were female (a 20 per cent decrease). The oldest was a 79-year-oldman arrested in Bicester on December 14 and the youngest were three different 19-year-old men arrested in Slough on December 3 and Aylesbury on December 6 for drug-driving and a man arrested for drink-driving in South Oxon on 14 December.

The average age of those arrested was 36.

In total, 58 of the 117 arrested have been charged, 43 have been released on bail pending further enquiries and 16 people have been released with no further action.

The campaign, which runs until 1 January, will see police targeting individuals they suspect of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, both on the way home from nights out and the morning after a heavy night.

So far 46 arrests have been made in Berkshire and 27 in Oxfordshire, on top of the 44 in Bucks.