Report Drink-Drive Friends to Police for £200 This Christmas

Police are offering an easy way to increase your Christmas spending money this festive season - grass up your mates who drink and drive.

West Midlands Police are dangling the offer of £200 cash to those who inform on friends or family, who might decide to drive this season after having a few drinks.

It is part of a crackdown on drink driving by police in the coming weeks.

Would-be police informants should note they will only net their rewards once the drink driver in question is successfully prosecuted, with the possibility of a courtroom appearance needed to seal the conviction.

Justifying the mercenary scheme, inspector Greg Jennings, of West Midlands Police, said: "It is the same story every year, people think it is acceptable to have a few drinks with their family or friends and then get behind the wheel.

"In many cases they wouldn't dream of drink driving, or taking drugs, at other times of the year but they lose their common sense at Christmas.

"We are now urging anyone who is aware of people breaking the law to pick up the phone and report selfish individuals," he said.

Inspector Sion Hathaway, from CMPG, added: "A driver who reaches the lowest legal drink drive limit is almost three times more likely to be involved in a crash than someone who has drunk nothing."