Police yesterday launched their annual Christmas campaign to battle drink and drug driving.

The campaign in December last year saw 7,720 drivers breathalysed by police in the Thames Valley.

There was a 15 per cent increase in the number of arrests made compared with 2010 and a 57 per cent increase in the number of women arrested for drink-driving.

In Oxfordshire 2,514 motorists were breathalysed and 77 arrests made for drink-driving.