More than 500 motorists were stopped in the first wave of a drug-driving crackdown.

Officers from Sussex Police checked drivers on roads in Brighton and Hove for any evidence of alcohol or drugs.

Of the 585 vehicles stopped, 42 drivers were breathalysed.

No one was found to be driving under the influence of drugs but three were over the drink-drive limit and were arrested. One of the vehicles was also found to be stolen.

The crackdown is the first of its kind in Brighton and Hove and one of only a handful in England and Wales.

Police are going back to prebreathalyser days and asking drivers to touch their noses and walk in a straight line in an attempt to catch those under the influence of drugs.

The campaign is being spearheaded by the city's Drug and Alcohol Action Team in conjunction with Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council's road safety team. It will run alongside the Christmas drinkdriving campaign.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the city council's environment committee, said: "As a major entertainment and clubbing centre, we are taking a high-profile, responsible lead and the message is clear:

drugs and driving are a lethal combination."

The campaign is targeting 17 to 25-year-olds - the group most likely to be at risk.