AN entertainer has spoken of his pain and sense of loss at the deaths of two respected musicians and friends - and warned: don't drink and drive.

Tim Dalling, of the Old String Rope Band, told of his sadness during the regional launch of the Christmas drink-drive campaign, in Newcastle, yesterday.

His friends Joe Scurfield, 56, and Keith Morris, 52, were hit by a 17-year-old drink driver in Newcastle's Westgate Road, in June.

Mr Scurfield was a fiddler with the well-known folk music and comedy band The Old String Rope Band and Mr Morris, originally from Cardiff, was known as a multi-instrumentalist and jazz composer.

Mr Dalling said: "People do not think it is going to happen to them - that it could happen to their friends.

"Every time you get into a car you are driving a killing machine. To drink and then drive is crazy.

"Losing Joe and Keith had a devastating impact on me and my life.

"Joe was not only a work colleague, he was like a brother. We were together for 14 years.

"I was also very close to Keith, who was one of the most talented composers on Tyneside.

"Their deaths were an inestimable loss not only to friends and family but to the music world."

He added: "Drink by all means, I like doing it myself. But do not get behind the wheel of a car."

Head of road safety at the Government Office for the North-East, Penny Marshall, said: "This year, we are making no apology for working on people's paranoia of being caught if they drink and drive.

"For the last 25 years we have been successful in making drinking and driving socially unacceptable behaviour but the last few years have seen a disturbing upward trend in the figures for accidents and casualties.

"This makes campaigns such as this doubly important as we try to reverse this trend and to reduce accidents and the resulting misery which is caused."

* This year's regional drink-drive campaign was launched at The Gate, in Newcastle, which operates a VIP card to help visitors access safe and reliable taxi services to get them home after a night out.