A TOWN in the North-East has been ranked seventh in a national list of hotspots for drink or drug drivers.

Darlington featured in the top ten of the list of towns with the highest proportion of motorists with drink or drug-driving convictions this year.

This is according to research released by comparison website MoneySuperMarket, which analysed 1 million car insurance applications over a period of 12 months.

Darlington was the only North-East town to make the list, with a rate of 1.47 convictions per 1,000 drivers - a slight fall from 1.695 convictions per drivers last year.

A rate of 1.74 convictions per 1,000 drivers saw the Cheshire town of Crewe top the list.

Durham Roads Policing Inspector Ed Turner said: "Drink driving is one of the ‘fatal four’ factors which are behind the vast majority of road collisions. This is a priority for the road policing officers in the CDSOU (Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit) and we conduct operations at regular intervals across the year in both force areas.

"In our experience, people being unfit to drive through drink or drugs are not something which is more noticeable in any given town. But as Darlington has the biggest population of any town in our force area, it stands to reason there will be more drivers on the roads and as a result a greater number of those arrested for this offence.”

Kevin Pratt, insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: "This year could be a breakthrough. We’ve seen the highest rate of convictions tumble from just under two per thousand to 1.74 per thousand.

"That’s a significant decline and perhaps indicates that the ‘Don’t Drink & Drive’ message is finally getting through.

"There are serious consequences for those caught for drink or drug-driving, including up to six months’ jail time, a driving ban of at least a year and a fine of up to £5,000."

He warned that the premiums of offending drivers tended to increase by around £350, which is more than the cost of some people’s policies in the first place.

London appeared to have the least amount of intoxicated motorists. Seven out of ten areas with the fewest convictions per 1,000 drivers were in the capital, although figures could reflect the population's decision to use public transport over driving.

Anyone with concerns about people drink or drug driving should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111