A name and shame campaign is running in Medway Today and Medway Messenger this month in a joint bid with local police to crack down on drunk drivers.
Last year more than 70 local drivers were convicted of festive season drink-drive offences.
In a bid to cut that number, drivers who are arrested for being over the limit during the Christmas and New Year period will immediately appear in the papers.
And the picture of anyone who is convicted of being more than twice over the limit is being published on the first available front page.
The first two drivers – Anthony Boast and Colin Bryant – appeared on the front page of the Messenger (above), with their cases fully reported inside on December 6.
Medway Messenger editor, Bob Dimond, said: “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than not to print a single name. That would mean the message about the dangers of drink driving was getting through. Sadly this is unlikely to be the case.”
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The campaign is being spearheaded by KM News Journalist of the Year, Janine Nolan.
As well as liasing with police, she has been following each case through the courts.
Several drivers have been arrested and bailed. One due in court was four times over the legal limit.
In a separate incident this week a verdict of misadventure was passed on a Medway motorist who died in his stationery car after drinking more than four and a half times the legal limit.
Senior editor Andy Rayfield bravely agreed to pose for a campaign picture (below). The half-tone image, however, was too close to reality for some colleagues who instantly recognised him.
One immediately sprang to the defence of ‘prisoner 2002′, saying: “Andy is in the modern mould of newspaper editors, clean living and sober – not like some of those from the old regime.”
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