Summer Drink Drive Crackdown In Chippenham

Police in Chippenham will be stepping up their road patrols to tackle drink drivers as summer gets into full swing.

On Wednesday the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) announced their summer drink and drug drive campaign.

So you can expect to see more police on roadside enforcement and Wiltshire police say there will be support from officers from the Armed Response Group and the Dog Section.

Chief Inspector Ian Copus, Head of Roads Policing for Wiltshire Police, said:  "The message from us is perfectly clear.  If you take a chance on drink driving, you will be caught.

"We are putting a great deal of time and effort into this year's campaign, with the intention of showing the public that drink and drug driving is completely anti-social, and a grave danger to other road users."

Research from Wiltshire police shows that more enforcement results in a decrease in the number of people caught driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs.

And in general motorists seem to take more risks in the summer with warmer, lighter evenings bringing about more social drinking.

To help tackle drug-driving, police in Chippenham have been trained in Field Impairment Testing (FIT) techniques.  These tests are carried out at the roadside to find out whether or not someone might have taken a substance before driving.

And to help the police, their Drink-Drive Hotline number is open again this year on 0845 408 7000 and selecting option 4.