The number of women caught drink-driving has increased steadily since the mid-1990s, the latest statistics reveal.

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that there was a rise of 58 per cent in the number of females caught driving under the influence of either drink or drugs between 1995 and 2004.

The number of men convicted of these offences fell by 0.25 per cent over the same period, the same figures showed.

Although these statistics suggest that women are more likely to risk having to put in motor insurance claims and losing their licence, in fact the proportion of men caught committing such offences far outweighs the proportion of women.

In 1995, 85,693 men and 6,793 women were convicted of drink-driving offences - in 2004, 10,765 women were convicted of the same offence, compared to 85,473 men.

"Instead of focusing drink-driving campaigns only on men, these figures show women also need to be targeted," Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael said.

"Drinking and driving must remain socially unacceptable. It is vital that we do not forget that drink-driving causes hundreds of deaths each year."