Two thousand fewer drivers were breathtested in Kent over the festive period.

The full local figures have only just been released to the KM Group this week.

But they reveal that just 1,786 drivers were breathtested from December 1 2008 to January 1 2009, compared to 4,177 in the same period the year before.

However, more people were arrested among those breathtested by Kent Police this year.

Kent Police said the dramatic drop was because the “campaign was more strategic and targeted than ever before.”

Overall 319 motorists were arrested in Kent for drink or drug driving, compared to 300 the year before.

Head of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Inspector Paul Sellwood said: “The number of breath tests going down shows we are far more targeted this year.

“We have been using specialist officers with special skills and they have been targeting the spots we know drink and drug drivers use.

“Rather than working in an ad hoc, random fashion we have been targeting those areas and stopping every motorists driving along. Those suspected of being under the influence were tested and we arrested those who failed.

“The number of tests we have done are down but that it depends how you read into the figures. It tells us there are less people driving around under the influence but of those we have stopped we’ve arrested more. Our activity has been far more targeted this year than before and the result has been more spectacular.”

Mid Kent branch of Kent Police saw the highest rise, with 63 drivers put into custody as opposed to 53 the year before.

The fewest drink and drug drivers arrested were in Medway and East Kent, with 46. Both areas saw a fall in the number taken into custody from 2007.

Insp Sellwood added: “It’s difficult to say whether one area is better than another. Overall there is not a vast difference in Kent, which tells me each area is targeting criminal behavior and doing it more effectively.

“No area is under performing which shows the whole of Kent is being targeted and we will not tolerate any form of drink or drug driving.”