Drink driving used to be the big menace at Christmas but as Spanish traffic police have found, the use of drugs at the wheel is fast becoming an alarming festive phenomenon.

Force helicopters have filmed a number of people taking drugs behind the wheel and in one week alone, nearly 2,500 motorists were fined.

Whether under the influence of cocaine, heroin, or cannabis, drivers are said to be risking their own lives and those of others. Some 500 deaths each year in Spain are said to be due to drug driving.

The hope is that the party season crackdown will raise awareness and reduce accidents, ensuring a Merry Christmas for Spanish motorists and pedestrians.