COUNTY Durham's traffic police have started festive season spot-checks in a bid to catch drink drivers.

And for the first time, the force will screen drivers stopped at the late-night and early morning checkpoints for drugs as well as drink.

The campaign, which started yesterday, runs until January 2. It aims to cut the toll of deaths and injuries on the county's 2,000 miles of roads.

Head of traffic, Chief Inspector Paul Goundry, said driving after drinking was a recognised danger at this time of year but statistics gathered in Durham confirmed drug-affected drivers were becoming a growing threat to road safety.

"Detailed analysis of samples taken during 2002 from drivers involved in fatal accidents across our force area confirmed nearly a third had traces of drugs in their blood streams,'' he said.

"There is no doubt in my mind that if you kill someone as a result of drinking or taking drugs you will go to jail.''

All the force's 90 traffic officers have undergone training on how to test drivers to see if they are under the influence of drugs.

Durham is believed to be the first police force in the region to launch the field impairment-testing programme for drugs.

A card allows officers to see if a suspect driver's eyes are dilated or constricted, signs of drug intake.

Drivers thought to be affected by drugs have to complete tasks that include walking a line, a finger-to-nose exercise, standing on one leg and a perception test that involves tilting the head back and estimating the passage of 30 seconds.

"Younger motorists do not always realise the dramatic effect drugs can have on their driving,'' said Chief Insp Goundry.

"Smoking one cannabis joint has the same effect on a driver's reactions as drinking several pints of beer.

"Would a driver be able to live with their conscience if they seriously injured or killed someone after drinking or taking drugs?''

Officers will also use locally intelligence to identify regular drink-drivers and pinpoint where they are likely to be at the wheel.