A POLICE chief has criticised the "staggering arrogance" of a hard core of drink-drivers who put people's lives at risk.

Cleveland's Assistant Chief Constable Adam Briggs said: "Despite repeated campaigns about the dangers of taking drink and drugs, there are still people who believe it will not affect their judgement or capabilities when they get behind a wheel. It is a staggering arrogance that these people put not only their lives in danger, but quite often the lives of innocent road-users."

In a three-day blitz earlier this month, 57 drivers were stopped and checked on Teesside. Seven tested positive for alcohol.

Over the same period, 2,300 drivers tested positive across Europe, with 273 people testing positive for alcohol and ten for drugs in the UK.

Mr Briggs said: "In Cleveland, we have a year-round enforcement policy to target those who drink or take drugs and drive. We are determined to take such people off the road. These figures show our determination is matched in Europe. All police forces are working together to tackle this problem. Sadly, there are always some drivers who fail to take heed of the warnings.

"They should realise that, once caught, they will be banned and have at least a year to think about the consequences. Losing a licence could affect both job and family. It is not worth the risk."

Mr Briggs is the UK spokesman for the European Traffic Police Network, whose members carried out the Europe-wide blitz earlier this month, to enforce the message that drink, drugs and driving is a deadly combination.

In the initiative, 186,938 drivers across Europe were checked, with 2,300 arrested.

Mr Briggs said: "Every year in the EU 45,000 people die and 1.6 million are injured in crashes on the roads. They are staggering and shocking statistics."