DRIVERS suffering the midnight munchies have been busted in a cunning police operation designed to catch hungry drug and booze impaired drivers.

Operation McBusted nabbed 95 hungry drivers in the Elsternwick area as they left 24-hour fast food outlets and on nearby back streets last weekend.

Twenty-three drivers exceeded the legal blood alcohol limit, with a further five drivers testing positive for drugs.

State Highway Patrol Inspector David Griffin said the results were appalling and should send a strong message to motorists who thought they could avoid police by travelling home on the back roads after a night out.

"These results show that there’s still a percentage of drivers out there who think they can take risks on our roads and they won't get caught,’’ he said.



"Operations like this show if you’ve been drinking or taking drugs, you can be caught anywhere, any time - not just on main roads or by booze and drug buses.’’

Operation McBusted, which ran alongside a number of booze buses operating in the area, detected:

FOUR disqualified/unlicensed

FIVE unregistered vehicles

12 mobile phone

17 defective vehicles

29 other traffic offences

Victoria Police’s Summer Stay campaign will run across Victoria until January 9.