Men are four times more likely than women to fail roadside police breath tests in Kent designed to weed out drink drivers.

The latest figures show of those caught 979 men blew over the limit, compared to 213 women.

They also reveal an overall drop in the number of motorists being caught drink driving compared to two previous years.

A total of 1,714 road users were found to be over the limit in 2015, compared to 1,720 in 2016.

Although the data for 2017 was not available after November 14, police said until that point 1,215 people had failed a breathalyser test or been caught with drink in their system.

Figures seen by KentOnline reveal they included 979 men, compared to 213 women, 13 transgender people, and 10 people who did not give their gender.

Head of Kent Police's Roads Policing Unit, Chief Inspector Richard Smeed, said: "Driving under the influence of alcohol has been known for a long time to be one of the biggest, needless killers on our roads.

"We are committed to keeping our roads safe and conduct proactive patrols across the county to help ensure this.

"Should we come across an offence being committed, we will take enforcement action.

"Drink driving, and driving under the influence of drugs too, wrecks lives and is entirely irresponsible.

"Those who break the law risk imprisonment, an unlimited fine and a driving ban."

In 2016 the days when the most people were caught drink driving was New Year's Day along with October 2.

Motoring editor of Confused.com, which submitted the Freedom of Information request to Kent Police, Amanda Stretton, said: "Drink driving is a dangerous and punishable offence, which can seriously impact the safety of our roads and put other road users at risk.

"Not only this, but it can land drivers with a fine, or even a driving ban, which can have a negative impact on their car insurance premiums.

"To avoid getting caught out, we suggest drivers stop drinking early if they know they have to get behind the wheel in the morning, but the best advice would be to avoid drinking alcohol at all."