DRINK-driving is continuing to worry the police, despite a drop in the numbers caught.

Eighty-five drivers failed breath tests during the Christmas and New Year drink-driving clamp-down in North Yorkshire.

The campaign ran from December 12 until January 2 and 1,821 drivers and riders were tested across the county.

Head of road policing Supt Martin Deacon said 85 failures out of 1,821 tests gave a low rate - 4.6 per cent - which was down on the previous year.

"Out of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that used North Yorkshire's roads over the three weeks, that is a very small proportion but it is still not good enough, and no-one is celebrating," he said.

He said there was still a hard-core minority of drivers who felt no sense of responsibility for other people's safety or their own families' welfare.

"Despite all the publicity, despite the widespread public knowledge of the dangers of drink-driving, and despite a rigorous and highly visible police campaign across the county, there are still people who are prepared to mix alcohol and driving."

During the three-week operation 247 drivers were breath-tested after collisions. Twenty-one of them blew positive, refused or failed to complete the test .