A WOMAN more than four-and-a-half times over the drink-driving limit was just one of an increasing number of drivers caught during the festive season.

Between December 2 and January 4, some 68 drivers failed a breath test in Bolton, up a massive 54 per cent on last year.

"It is atrocious that so many people think they can flout what is anti-social law. The figures show that we will catch them," said Sgt Barry Fairclough, of Bolton police traffic unit.

The woman driver, in her late 20s, was so drunk that she had little recollection of what she was doing. She was stopped by police after a worried shopkeeper, from whom she had just bought a half-bottle of vodka, tipped them off.

Police said that while more people seemed to be be careful over the Christmas and New Year holidays, a worrying trend was the number who were flouting the drink-drive laws early when the festive season began at the start of December.

That was before special patrols were out on the roads from December 18 to catch motorists who may have been tempted to drive after drinking.

Half of those arrested -- 34 -- were caught over the limit in the first two weeks of December, before the Christmas campaign began. "It is a worrying trend," said Sgt Fairclough.

But no one was found to have been driving under the influence of drugs, unlike last year when two people were caught.

"People were aware that there was a drink-driving campaign over the festive period, but in the two weeks prior to our official campaign starting on December 15, we caught 34 people," said Sgt Fairclough.