Arrests made for drink driving in Longford over Bank holiday weekend

Close to 140 drivers were breathalysed by gardaí across Co Longford over the Halloween Bank Holiday weekend as part of a major clampdown on drink driving and speeding, writes Liam Cosgrove.

Twenty-eight checkpoints, including ten Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) operations were held with 137 motorists being tested for the presence of alcohol and drugs. As a consequence, two drivers were arrested on suspicion of drink driving with another motorist being arrested for alleged drug driving.

Gardaí also issued 16 tickets for alleged speeding related offences. Meanwhile, gardaí have also urged parents to exercise extra vigilance and ensure their children are adequately supervised ahead of Thursday night's much anticipated Halloween celebrations.

A spokesman told the Leader this week of how officers will be out in force across the county and in various housing estates with gardaí also keeping a tight rein on the distribution of illegal fireworks. Some 34 consignments of illegal fireworks worth almost €5,000 have already been seized nationwide ahead of this week's Halloween celebrations.

The seizures were carried out as part of Operation Tombola, which is intended to clamp down on the sale and import of fireworks.

It comes after a major safety campaign was launched last week, urging parents not to buy their children fireworks in the lead up to the annual celebrations.

Also read: Violence and anti-social behaviour on rise on Longford trains