Father Christmas is supporting Essex Police as they launch their seasonal drink drive message.

Santa was in the county on Monday supporting the campaign with the slogan: 'One Christmas Tradition We Can Do Without'.

Last Christmas 209 drivers were found to be drinking and driving in Essex - 3.1 per cent of those tested. And of the 6,583 fatal or injury accidents which occurred in the county last year, 200 were drink related - around one every other day.

As usual, police will breath test any driver involved in an accident and there will also be checks if a driver is suspected of drinking alcohol.

Insp Mark Harman of Essex Police said: "We are concerned that there still seem to be people who will drink and drive.

"Clearly Christmas is a season of joy but I and my colleagues see many things that are far from joyful as a result of drink driving."

Essex County Council Road Safety Officer Alan Owen suggested that anyone who is going for a drink should take a nominated driver who is not drinking alcohol or make alternative means of transport.

With the new fast track system, anyone caught drinking and driving will find themselves quickly banned. There is a minimum one year disqualification.

Positive breath tests from accidents in Essex over Christmas and the New Year have reduced from 19 in 1997 to 10 last year. But Essex Police stress: "One drink related accident is too many."

Sober Santa - PC Graham Bassett gets a negative result from Father Christmas at Colchester Zoo as they launch their Christmas campaign.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.