A new hard hitting Christmas campaign in County Durham and Darlington is warning drivers about drug and drink driving with the message “One night out, a lifetime of consequences.” It is jointly led by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen, Durham Constabulary, Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council, aimed especially at young male drivers, and runs until 5 January 2026. The local campaign also aligns with the National Police Chiefs’ Council enforcement effort, Operation Limit, which Durham Constabulary is supporting with increased roadside testing over the festive period.

The numbers in the campaign briefing are blunt. Across the force area, October alone saw 90 drink or drug driving offences, including 39 drug specific and 24 alcohol specific offences. In a recent consultation, 80 percent of respondents said driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol was their biggest concern on the roads. The campaign also states that in County Durham and Darlington, 295 people have been injured or killed because a driver or rider was impaired by drugs or alcohol.

The campaign will be delivered through bus shelter ads and social media in Darlington and County Durham, focusing on how impairment can persist longer than many assume, sometimes days later, and how mixing drugs with alcohol can worsen effects over time. Slogans include “The danger doesn’t end when the party does,” alongside the core line about lifelong consequences, and the messaging covers legal and socio economic fallout as well as harm to victims, perpetrators, the NHS, and emergency services. It also points to support via the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service (CDDARS) and We Are With You, and notes Joy Allen’s view that drug driving is “one of the fastest growing threats on our roads.”

Find more from County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services (UK; December 2025)