Lancashire police custody units were packed to the rafters at the weekend after the roads policing unit arrested a staggering 15 people in just 12 hours for drink or drug-driving.

The spike in arrests occurred on Saturday night into Sunday morning.

These included a driver who nearly reversed into an off-duty police officer on the M65 before testing positive for cocaine.

In comparison, the same team arrested five people for drink or drug-driving during the same time period last weekend, and the weekend before they arrested eight people for the same offences in the same time period.

And while Chief Inspector Matt Willmot, of the Lancashire Roads Policing Unit, said the drink driving problem has never gone away, drug driving across the county has become more prevalent in recent years.

Ch Insp Willmott also said if people are going to go out and drink or take recreational drugs, then they must not underestimate the length of time these substances stay in the system.

He said: "We have definitely seen an increase in drug driving and are detecting far more of these offences.

"I think it's to do with a change in society's approach to the use of recreational narcotics.

"Drink driving has never gone away but people have become immune to the effects of it.

"I don't know why people have not continued to take heed of these messages, as from our point of view we see the consequences of drink and drug driving, and it's serious collisions or fatalities and it destroys two people's families - those who lose a
family member, and those who see a family member sent to prison for 14 years."

Ch Insp Willmot said the police see a large mix of drug drivers who have either taken cannabis or cocaine, and thinks people don't really understand how long these drugs can stay in the system for.

He went on: "If you take a drug in the evening, you can feel fine the next day, but the drug will still be in your system.

"With alcohol you will feel rough, and you might chance it, but you know you're probably still over the limit.

"But with drugs often the following morning you think you're absolutely fine.

"I don't know why there's been a change in attitude but with drug driving you do see it more in younger males."

Ch Insp Willmott said many of the arrests were made on Saturday afternoon and early into Saturday evening, with two more on Sunday morning.

He is now urging parents of adult children, and partners of those who may go out drinking or taking drugs to speak with their family members and reiterate the possible consequences and impacts of drink and drug driving.

Those stopped and arrested this weekend (October 7-8) included:

Two HGV drivers – one of whom was on duty at the time – who tested positive for drugs.
A driver in Accrington, who was stopped in a residential area and gave a reading of 98 for alcohol. The legal limit is 35.
A man who gave a reading of 126 for alcohol after being involved in a collision in Chorley.
A driver near junction 13 of the M65, who almost reversed into an off-duty officer. The driver tested positive for cocaine.
A man who tested positive for cocaine after being seen driving erratically on the M55.
And a man who was stopped after being seen driving through multiple red lights and hitting the kerb on the A59, before entering the M6. He gave a reading of 47 for alcohol at the scene.

In total over the weekend 22 people were arrested for impaired driving, with six of those for drug-driving, 13 of those for drunk-driving and three for either failing to give a sample or being over the limit for both alcohol and drugs.

Ch Insp Willmot, added: “These are staggering figures for such a short period of time, with Saturday night seeing a huge spike in arrests for this type of offence.

“However, we hope that these figures also show that we are out and about and are stopping those who think it is acceptable to put themselves and others at risk in this way.

“We know the majority of people would never dream of committing this kind of offence, but to those who do we say this: it is never, ever worth it.

“Both alcohol and drugs can stay in your system until well into the next day, or even longer depending how much you have consumed. And while you may feel you can drive safely, your reaction times and judgment will still be impaired.

“If you killed someone you would have that on your conscience for the rest of your life – not to mention the fact you could lose your job, lose friends and family and face time in prison.

“We cannot say for definite what caused this spike, but believe it could be connected to the unexpected nice weather. However, we will not rest on our laurels, and in response to these figures will be looking at resourcing in the coming weeks to ensure
those who drink or drug drive cannot get away with it."

Other incidents of dangerous driving from the weekend include a man stopped after being seen doing 140mph on the southbound side of the M6 and a man who was stopped and arrested after fitting false blue lights to his vehicle.

As always, police urge members of the public to report dangerous driving to them.

If you have dashcam showing an incident of dangerous driving you can send it to the police here https://unitedkingdom1cpp-portal.digital-policing.co.uk/lancashire/appeal/public-dashcam-submission

You can also report drink or drug-drivers to us via 101, or 999 if a crime is ongoing.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/23843830.15-people-arrested-drink-drug-driving-12-hours/

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