THERE?was an increase in drink and drug driving arrests in East Hampshire over the Christmas period, new police figures reveal.

Officers are now urging motorists never to take the potentially fatal risk, following the Operation Holly campaign.

Dedicated patrols were carried out regularly between December 1 and January 1, with the number of people breath tested across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at 7,606, an increase on 6,918 in 2014. Arrests increased from 195 in 2014 to 215 in 2015.