IT’S not at all surprising that, at this time of the year and on the back of a weekend on the roads of Greater Manchester which has claimed the lives of three young people and left three others seriously injured, police have launched their customary anti-drink and drug driving campaign early.

The tragedies across the city region have affected one Oldham family in particular with the untimely death of promising 17-year-old amateur boxer Trent Warburton.

No right minded person could argue with the validity of Greater Manchester Police’s None for the Road initiative – kick-started at Monday’s press conference.

Their statistics reveal that there has been a staggering year on year increase in the number of road deaths or serious of nearly 100 from 728 to 824.

This clearly shows that road safety initiatives should be conducted not just at the Christmas and New Year period, but all year.

Is it not also an uncomfortable reality that cuts to police budgets over recent years mean that there appears to be a noticeable absence of police traffic vehicles on our roads and an over-reliance on speed cameras?

One only has to walk along a busy main road to witness alarming numbers of people using their mobile phones – even texting as they drive – blatantly driving through red traffic lights, long after they have changed from green, and motorists attempting emulate feat of newly-crowned F1 champion Lewis Hamilton by travelling at alarming speed.

If, as Prime Minister Theresa May said recently, the age of austerity is truly over, surely it’s time to give police forces the resources to do what they are there to do – enforce the law.