NO MATTER which way they went, party-goers in the heart of a downtown drinking districts ran into road-blocks early Sunday morning.

As part of a new strategy to catch drink drivers, which the police call ring-fencing, officers set up road blocks on four streets around the Outram and Havelock area.

The blitz, the first of its kind, netted 20 drivers, according to police.

The five road blocks were set up simultaneously at Havelock Road, Outram Road, Ganges Avenue and Zion Road, which formed a loose ring around at least six night spots.

They included popular nightclub Zouk, and karaoke lounges such as Tiananmen KTV at the Furama Riverfront hotel and Lido Palace at the Holiday Inn Atrium hotel.

The police hope to curb an alarming rise in drink driving with their new strategy. The number of drink-drivers caught last year increased by seven per cent to 4,009 - the highest figure in 10 years.

Sunday's roadblocks went up at 3 am, and within three and a half hours police had nabbed 20 suspected drink drivers, officers said.

The Straits Times observed six arrests during a two-hour tour of all five roadblocks. Those arrested looked to be in their twenties or thirties, and were mostly men.

Many were driving sleek cars bearing logos like Porsche, Maserati, Lexus and BMW.

Some claimed innocence. A female driver who was stopped at one of the Outram roadblocks claimed she had 'not really' drank while playing mahjong at a friend's place earlier.

But her breathalyser result was over the limit, and she was promptly arrested.

There were also other drivers seen trying to dodge the road blocks.

At the junction of Kim Seng Road and Havelock Road, the Straits Times spotted a Porsche Carrera S running a red light as it slowly turned left into Havelock Road.

But the driver slammed on the brakes once he spotted the telltale flashing lights of the road block ahead. He then reversed back to the traffic light and went straight instead - into the arms of the police at the Outram Road blocks.

Anticipating that drivers would try to avoid the roadblocks by taking slip roads or hiding in carparks, the police stationed men up to 150 m ahead each barrier.

Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.