Police have revealed that a total of 1,035 motorists failed breath tests during the festive season.

The figures represent 8.9 per cent of all drivers tested after accidents. Last year the rate was 8.71 per cent.

John Thurso, transport spokesman, said: "There is no excuse for drink driving and it is extremely worrying that the long downward trend is now being reversed.

"The confusion over how much alcohol can be consumed before reaching the legal limit can be eliminated by hammering home the simple message: ifyou've had a drink, don't drive.

"Today's figures are still very crude and we now need to look at who is drink driving and why they are doing it."

Forum Response: Association of Chief Police Officers

Richard Brunstrom, ACPO's head of road policing and chief constable of North Wales Police, said: "The main aim of our campaign is to reduce injury collisions over the Christmas and New Year holiday period and I am pleased to say that we achieved a 4.58 per cent reduction on last year - a 25.94 per cent reduction since we began our records in 1997. As a result, the number of drink-related collisions was also reduced by a significant 4.17 per cent on last year, 25 per cent less than in 1997.

"However, a worrying proportion are still driving having consumed excess alcohol, this is borne out by the fact that the hit rate for those having been involved in a collision and testing positive for alcohol has been increasing slightly year-on-year since 1998 to its current rate of 8.91 per cent, virtually reaching the 1997 baseline of 9.11 per cent.

"The sad fact is that in 2003 the same percentage of drivers in collisions that police dealt with over the Christmas and New Year period had been drinking to excess as in 1997. I believe that it is time the government followed the European Commission recommendation of a lower blood alcohol limit of 50mg and extended police powers to enable the use of intelligence to target and prosecute offenders.

"Our thanks go to those responsible drivers who responded to my appeal and did not drink and drive this year, making the roads safer for everyone.

"A warning goes out to those who decided to flout the drink driving law and risk causing death and injury to themselves and others - currently averaging ten deaths every week - neither the police nor the majority of the public will condone your behaviour, either at Christmas/New Year or at any other time.

"1035 drivers will face court proceedings, disqualification, a fine or imprisonment as a result of a drink related collision during our two-week campaign. This signifies our determination to stamp out the scourge of drink driving and make the roads safer for everyone."

Forum Response: Alcohol Concern

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern told ePolitix.com: "It's all very well to test drivers after they've had collisions - but we'd like to see police given greater powers to be more proactive, to deter drivers from drinking and driving in the first place.

"This would include random breath testing powers to stop motorists they're suspicious of. Without deterrents of this type, we feel police are tackling drink driving with one arm tied behind their backs - and people are dying needlessly on the roads as a result."

Forum Response: British National Temperance League

Barbara Briggs, chief executive of BNTL, told ePolitix.com: "Drink driving is a curse in our country where we have one of the most lenient levels in Europe. Michael McDonnell, the road safety manager for RoSPA in Scotland said recently the ' the government missed an opportunity to tackle the problem when it considered reducing the drink drive limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg.'

"BNTL fully agree with this statement and in March of 2002 we wrote to the then home secretary the Rt. Hon David Blunkett urging him to consider the reduction of the limit. His spokesman Chris Kottler replied that in the opinion of the Home Office at that date the incidence of drink drive accidents and deaths has been reduced by around two-thirds. We did beg to differ with him.

"Reducing the level would not solve the problem, but would send out the message that drinking and driving is becoming less acceptable both socially and in the eyes of the law. We agree with John Thurso, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman when he says that the simple message should be 'If you've had a drink, don't drive.'

"We do not wish to spoil anyone's party especially over the festival season but the statistics regarding the combination of alcohol and driving are frightening. More than 500 people we killed on the roads in 2002 involving drink drivers and more than 20 per cent of drivers killed in crashes were over the legal limit. Also as our chairman Peter Swales pointed out in his recent ePolitix.com interview: 'Christmas happens every weekend in the town centres with binge drinking, which the Government have acknowledged.'

"Obviously as a charity involved in education we feel that the government could do more to help educate our young people to have a more responsible attitude to alcohol including drinking and driving.

"We have had anti drink driving campaigns for over 20 years now, and it would appear that many have got the message but there is a group of drivers the repeat offenders who are resistant to the message, which begs the question do we legislate more harshly against them? There has to be a point where we declare enough is enough."