FEWER motorists are drinking and driving in Greater Manchester according to figures recorded over the festive period.

Greater Manchester Police breathalysed 7,132 people during its Christmas drink-drive campaign.

The month-long initiative saw 365 positive, refused or failed breath tests, compared to 540 in the same period last year.

The number has dropped despite 3,595 more tests being carried out compared with last year.

Chief Inspector Haydn Roberts, head of GMP's Traffic Planning Unit, said: "These figures show the majority of drivers in Greater Manchester act responsibly.

"However, they also indicate there are individuals who still think they are safe to drive after drinking alcohol and this has resulted in accidents."

Between December 1 and December 31, there were an average of 230 tests a day with around 12 people each day testing positive. There were 712 collisions involving injury, of which 78 drivers tested positive which equates to 11 per cent.

Police officers also carried out 19 tests for driving under the influence of drugs, of which four proved positive.

In the Bolton and Wigan area, 48 drink-drivers were caught during the Christmas crackdown a 25 per cent increase on the same period last year when only 36 people were arrested.

But police bosses say the inflated number is mainly due to the increased number of tests. Last year 334 people in the area were asked to stop for a breath test between December 13 and January 3, while this year 1,111 were stopped and tested during December.

There were 63 collisions in which passengers were injured over the period.

Out of those, a total of 109 people were breathalysed but only three were arrested for giving a positive reading.

Last year there were 52 collisions involving injuries and six people were arrested for failing the test. Previous years have seen higher levels of drink-driving, with 68 people caught during Christmas 2003.

All those who gave positive tests over the Christmas period face driving bans.

Chief Insp Haydn added: "We will continue to work at getting the message across to motorists that the only option is not to drink."