FORTY drivers in Forth Valley were caught by Police Scotland over the festive period for a number of drink or drug related offences.

Date released by the police revealed the number of incidents were recorded between December 1, 2023 and January 2, 2024.

These offences included driving a motor vehicle while under influence of a controlled drug above prescribed limit, failure to provide breath, blood or urine specimen at police station, failure to provide specimen at roadside, in charge of motor vehicle with blood alcohol content above prescribed limit, driving motor vehicle with blood alcohol content above limit, in charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs and driving motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs.

Of the 40 instances recorded, 17 drivers were recorded as driving a car with blood alcohol content above the prescribed limit, while 12 were pulled over for driving under the influence of a controlled drug.

Chief superintendent Hilary Sloan, head of road policing, said: “We are relentless against drivers who choose to take alcohol or drugs and put the safety of others at risk.

“The Christmas and New Year period brings a focus on this type of offending and the work carried out by officers to deter and detect drink and drug driving will continue throughout the year, alongside our road safety partnerships.

“I would like to thank everyone who did the right thing by contacting Police Scotland to tell us about potential offenders and I would like to encourage people to keep reporting.

“Intelligence-led activity is a vital part of what we do and could save a life.

“The influence people can have on their family and friends who might be considering driving after drinking alcohol or taking drugs can be crucial.

“We all have a responsibility to improve road safety.”

Forth Valley had among the lowest numbers of cases recorded, with only Renfrewshire and Inverclyde recording fewer incidents at 24.

On the other end of the scale, Lanarkshire recorded the highest rates of driving under the influence over Christmas, with 109 cases; followed by Greater Glasgow with 107 instances recorded throughout the festive period.