Harrogate police arrest 17 drink and drug drivers during summer crackdown

A total of 17 suspected drink and drug drivers were arrested in Harrogate during the course of a police crackdown last month.
Police have arrested a total of 17 people in Harrogate.Police have arrested a total of 17 people in Harrogate.
Police have arrested a total of 17 people in Harrogate.

Operation Attention, North Yorkshire Police’s (NYP) campaign to stamp out drink and drug driving came to a close at the end of June.

But now police have revealed that a third of all those arrested for drink driving were at least double the legal limit of 35 micrograms (ug) of alcohol per 100ml of breath.

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Among 98 arrests made between June 1 - 30 alone, 33 drivers across North Yorkshire provided a reading of 70ug of alcohol or more.

Alarmingly, the operation results also show that nearly 10 per cent of those arrested provided readings of 105ug and over.

Of the 17 men and women arrested by police in Harrogate, the highest reading was provided by a 36-year-old man who blew 136ug - nearly four times the legal limit.

So far eight people arrested during the campaign have appeared before Harrogate Magistrates, seven of whom provided readings over twice the legal limit.

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The highest reading of the entire campaign was provided by a 43-year-old man from Thirsk who blew 143ug.

Of all those arrested, 42 people have now appeared in court, with Magistrates handing out a total of 22 years worth of driving bans and ordering thousands of pounds worth of fines to be paid.

But while nearly half of those arrested have been dealt with, NYP Roads Policing Sergeant, Andy Morton, reassured the public the tough approach to drink and drug drivers in the county is not over.

He said: “Whilst the end of June marks the end of Operation Attention, be assured North Yorkshire Police remain committed all year round to getting drink and drug drivers off the road.

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“The number of drivers we have arrested and prosecuted throughout June and the levels of alcohol we have found in some drivers systems only makes us more determined to use the resources we have available to identify, arrest and prosecute these irresponsible drivers.

“I’d like to thank the members of the public who called us to report incidents of drink and drug driving, your support is invaluable and we appreciate your assistance.

“Even though the operation is over for this summer, my appeal remains the same – if you are aware of anyone drink or drug driving please report it to us. If it is happening at the time we want to know – please dial 999.

“Without the actions of those who picked up the phone and contacted us, who knows how many tragic events we may have had to attend to.”