Essex Police to crack down on drink and drug driving this Winter following "staggering" operations
The force say it will be one of their key priorities this Winter
The Head of Roads Policing has warned that cannabis, cocaine, and other drugs have an "enormous" presence on the county's roads.
Essex Police arrested 179 people last month for the offence, and says the results of its operations are "staggering".
Adam Pipe said, at Safer Essex Road Partnership's event in Chelmsford, that the force will be focussing on the issue this Winter, and they expect to catch many more drink and drug driving.
He said: "Drug driving is just simply, I hate to use the words off the scale but I am going to. The presence of cocaine or cannabis at the moment across road users is just enormous."
"Last month alone Essex Police arrested 179 drivers for drug driving, so cocaine or cannabis. But we are also very aware that more drivers are now using other drugs, ketamine for example."
"In one single operation that we are undertaking at the moment in some of our big towns and cities on a Saturday night, over an eight hour window we are arresting 23 people for drug driving. That is staggering."
"We focus these operations in Southend, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Colchester and Canvey Island."
"During December we have four quite significant days where we are going to be replicating that activity."
"Where I am quite certain we'll be arresting a very, very high number of people for drug driving."