HELP us to catch drink-drivers – that’s the message from Hampshire Police as they launch their annual festive crackdown on drink and drug drivers.

Officers want people to send a text to 80999 if they spot a driver who they suspect has been drinking.

The information, which will be received anonymously, should include the precise location of where the driver has been spotted, the direction of travel, and as many vehicle details as possible, especially the registration number.

Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley, of Roads Policing for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, urged people to use the text service, which was launched last year.

He said: “You could be saving a life, be it the driver’s or someone who has the misfortune of getting in their way.

“We are out every day of the year tackling this issue, but at Christmas, we see more drink-drivers than at any other time in the year. It’s not just about catching people. It’s about coming between them and catastrophic consequences.”

The Smashed campaign, as it is called, will be promoted with adverts on buses and at bus stops, on car bumper stickers and beer mats in pubs across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It will run from now until New Year’s Day.

Last year, the force’s Christmas campaign saw 240 people arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in Hampshire alone – an increase of 9.1 per cent on 2010.

The north and east Hampshire policing area, of which Basingstoke is a part, saw the highest number of arrests last Christmas with 68.