More than 200 people suspected of drink or drug driving were arrested in Kent during December, according to police.

Of those, about a quarter have been charged after 465 vehicles were stopped in the county throughout the festive season, a spokesman said.

"Only a small minority of motorists choose to disobey this most fundamental principle of road safety but those who do risk killing themselves and others.

"That is why we take offending of this nature exceptionally seriously and, throughout the year, take measures to ensure the roads are safe.

"We will always seek to take the most robust, but proportionate, enforcement action against any offender," Kent Police detective inspector Lee Neiles said.

In total, 224 people were arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired and 60 charges have already been authorised. Enquiries into most of the other cases remain ongoing.

DI Neiles added: "Anyone who drives while impaired risks the loss of their driving licence and a criminal conviction - this could lead to them losing their job."

He urged motorists to be mindful the residual impact of drinking at home during lockdown can leave a person over the limit the following morning.

"Think before you get behind the wheel and, if you have had a drink or taken some other substance, never drive," he added.

According to the force, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is one of the four most common causes of a fatal collision, alongside not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone at the wheel and speeding.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent