More than 500 people were arrested for drug-driving in Greater Manchester and Cheshire in the past year, new figures have revealed.

Outside of London there were more arrests in Greater Manchester than anywhere else in the UK, with Cheshire following closely behind.

The results show there were 573 arrests for drug-driving made by GMP between March 2015 and April this year. Cheshire Police arrested 546 people for the offence.

The Metropolitan Police in London made the most arrests with 1,636 made in the last year.

Regulations were introduced last year to crack down on motorists who drive under the influence of drugs.

Read:

Read:

Drivers can be prosecuted if they are caught exceeding limits which were laid down for eight illegal drugs and eight prescription drugs.

The levels for the illegal drugs, which include heroin, cocaine and cannabis, virtually mean there is zero tolerance for drivers caught with these substances in their system.

With the introduction of the new law, police were issued with testing kits.

Officers can use “drugalysers” to screen for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside and they can test for these and other drugs including ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and heroin at a police station, even if a driver passes the roadside check.

For some forces the introduction of the test and the legislation has had a huge impact on the number of arrests.

South Yorkshire Police drug driving-related arrests went from 13 in the year the test was introduced to 456 the following year.

Read:

Read:

It comes as GMP launched a new operation on Wednesday to tackle drink and drug drivers throughout the month of June.

The statistics were obtained through Freedom of Information requests by the BBC.

Inspector Susan Redfern from GMP’s Road Policing Unit said: “It’s easier than ever for us to bring drug drivers to justice. If you’re taking the risk; it’s only a matter of time before you get caught.

“Drink and drug driving ruins lives and we want your summer to be memorable for the right reasons. Don’t ruin it with a conviction or, worse still, serious injury or death.

“Please stick to ‘none for the road’ if you’re driving. If you’re under the influence, arrange alternative transport home or nominate a designated driver.”