Thirty five people died and 542 injured in traffic accidents over the long weekend in Poland.

Police say over 2000 drivers were charged with being drunk in charge of a vehicle after a massive operation was launched involving 10,000 officers.

The main bulk of the deaths came on Good Friday and Easter Monday as drivers traveled to see family for the Easter celebrations.

Compared with last year the death toll was significantly down – during the Easter break in 2008 50 lost their lives in road accidents. Police put the improvement down to the increased police presence and relatively clear driving conditions. (pg)