Traffic police were out in force to ram home the Christmas anti-drink drive message and it seems to be getting through.

More than 15,000 motorists have been stopped in York, Selby, Tadcaster and the surrounding area in the last ten days, and none have been over the limit.

But officers warned today that the high-profile campaign will continue well into the New Year.

Hundreds of motorists were stopped at random yesterday afternoon on Tadcaster Road in York.

There was a look of trepidation on the faces of many as they were asked to pull up.

But most drove off with a smile after being handed a leaflet entitled Dying for a Drink? and being wished a Happy Christmas by the officers from York's road policing group.

Traffic Constables Gary Lump, Steve Bushby, Derek Houselander and Ken England are among dozens of officers around the county stopping hundreds of vehicles every hour.

They are determined to rid North Yorkshire's roads of potentially killer drink drivers and were pulling over vehicles travelling in both directions.

If an officer becomes suspicious that a driver has been drinking when they are given the leaflet, they will be breathalysed on the spot.

Those found to be over the limit could face imprisonment, a hefty fine, a long driving ban and a criminal record.

Some may lose their jobs, and all will have the stigma of being branded a drink driver.

Traffic Constable Sean Grey welcomed the early success of this year's campaign.

He said: "It shows the message is getting through, and 99.9 per cent of those we stop agree with what we are doing."

Officers are not only setting up static sites for stopping drivers, but are also conducting random stops in rural villages around the county.

"We could be in any village at any time of the day or night," said TC Grey.

"We aim to both catch drink drivers and prevent them from taking the risk in the first place."

* Most people in the UK consider drink driving as a crime as serious as theft, physical assault or drug possession, a new survey shows.

Research by motor insurers Bell Direct also revealed that most people want tougher punishments for drink drivers.

david.wiles@ycp.co.uk