It seems like only last week we were saying the ‘don’t drink and drive message’ was worth repeating this year, even though it surely should have sunk in to all road-users by now.

Oh, hang on – that is because it was only last week.

Yet, astonishingly, it has since emerged that the number of arrests made in the first eight days of the Christmas drink-driving crackdown in Thames Valley and Hampshire has shot up by 25 per cent.

And 37 out of the 84 arrests have been made in Bucks. These are alarming figures – both in terms of the danger they present on our roads and the sheer number of people who are still stupid and reckless enough to behave in this way.

So let us hope lessons are being learned and these figures are a mere blip – let us hope the rest of the festive season will see far fewer arrests for drink-driving on our roads to level out this increase. Sadly, we can’t help but think, on current form, this optimism may be in vain.

FEW can fail to have been disgusted by the story last week of a Christmas tree stolen from Downley the week before it was to be the centrepiece of a charity event in aid of a terminally ill young girl.

Thankfully, though – and as you might dare to hope at this time of year – goodwill won out. A replacement tree was donated and the streets were packed to raise money for two-year-old Amber Jutla. So far more than £1,500 has been raised, with more still expected to roll in.

While the story of Amber, who suffers from Infantile Batten Disease, is a heartbreaking one, we should all be warmed by the way the community has rallied in a bid to create some magical memories for her and her family.

Amber’s mum, Caroline, spoke this week of the “lovely people” who helped stage and support the event and we have to agree.

The kindness and generosity shown at Tuesday’s event more than eclipses the mean-spiritedness of the callous thieves responsible for stealing the Christmas tree in the first place.