NEW data has shown drink driving offences in Lancashire increase in December.

As Christmas approaches, people are attending parties and seem to not know when they are over the limit.

Confused.com revealed 4,254 motorists were caught drink-driving in the North West last year, with the highest number of offences in Lancashire, where 1,362 motorists were caught.

More drivers were caught in December last year than in any other month due to boozy Christmas parties.

One in three drivers admitted they would feel safe to drive after two or more drinks and further research found 46% of motorists who were caught drink driving were still over the limit the morning after.

Confused.com conducted an experiment where participants drank as much as they wanted to the point where they'd still feel safe to drive.

Some were found to be over the limit without realising.

But now, the motoring company has revealed a calculator which will help East Lancashire drivers work out how much alcohol can be in their system and estimate how long they'll have to wait before it leaves their body.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: “With many of us enjoying celebrations with friends and family, we need to clue up on the drink-drive laws, as it’s clear so many people are taking the risk and driving after a drink.

"And as our experiment shows, sometimes even one drink is enough to push us over the limit.

“Surprisingly, the morning after seems to be a prime time for drink-drivers. But how long do we need to wait before we can drive?

"Working out units versus hours passed is confusing at the best of times, so we’ve released our morning after calculator to estimate when you should be safe to drive."

To view the calculator, visit https://www.confused.com/car-insurance/morning-after-calculator