DRINK-driving is continuing to cause concern for the police despite a drop in the numbers of offenders caught.

Police forces around the region carried out breath tests over Christmas and New Year to try to catch drinkers who got behind the wheel.

In North Yorskhire 85 drivers failed breath tests between December 12 and January 2 out of 1,821 who were tested.

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

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

On Teesside, 333 breath tests were administered between December 18 and January 2, of which only 28 proved positive.

Eighty-one of the tests were carried out following accidents on roads across Teesside and three of those proved positive.

Inspector Steve Lawson of Cleveland police said: "Our quest to free the roads from drink drivers does not end now that the holiday period is over.

"We will seek out drink drivers 365 days a year and they will be caught and dealt with.''

In County Durham, between December 18 to January 2, a total of 98 breath tests were carried out following accidents on roads and 17 were positive.

The total number of breath tests administered during the campaign was 2,338, with 86 proving positive.

For the first time the force also checked to see if drivers were under the influence of drugs.

A spokeswoman said a number of tests were carried out but the number who failed would not be known for some time as the force was awaiting toxicology tests.