DRINK-DRIVERS are continuing to plague Wiltshire's roads, with a worrying rise in the number of arrests in this year's festive blitz.

Police arrested 28 motorists on suspicion of drink-driving in north and west Wiltshire over Christmas and New Year up six on last year.

Several drivers arrested were as much as two and three times over the limit.

Insp Cavan Moroney, traffic manager for the north and west Wiltshire division, said drivers caught over the Christmas period made "pathetic" excuses.

From December 18 to January 2 four drivers tested positive after road crashes, a third of the county's total, while 24 more were caught through random breath testing.

Countywide, 12 drivers failed or refused to take breath tests following road accidents, compared to 19 last year.

Insp Moroney said he was disappointed with the statistics but took comfort from the eagle-eyed approach of his officers, which he believed helped to save lives.

"We failed in that we did not get these four drivers before an accident but I take comfort in the fact we stopped 24 drivers before they were involved in a crash," he said.

"There were incidents of

drivers being two to three times over the limit. These are not people who accidentally go over the limit, these are people who show a blatant disregard for the law and other people's safety.

"When you deal with drink- drivers and listen to their excuses it really is quite pathetic."

Insp Moroney said drink- driving was a "bread and butter" job, with officers needing to focus on the crime 365 days a year.

Across the county 281 breath tests were taken from drivers after road collisions, with 85 of those in the Melksham division.

Figures show 74 of these crashes countywide resulted in injury, compared to 81 last year. Officers believe the mild weather over the festive season helped keep the number of road casualties down.

Wiltshire's road safety officer Dave Melvin said four arrests across the county on New Year's Eve boosted the final number of arrests for the second year running.

The legal drink-drive limit is 35mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath or 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Convicted drivers face a minimum 12 month ban, fines of up to £6,000 and prison sentences for the most serious cases.