Sixty-five people were arrested for driving under the influence of liquor in the Mthatha area, Eastern Cape police said on Sunday.

Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said a joint operation between police, provincial traffic police and the local municipality targeted drunk drivers between 7pm on Saturday and noon on Sunday.

The operation was held on the R61 and the N2 highway and several of its exits. It was intended as a "build up" to the Easter weekend when many people would be on the roads.

Those arrested would appear before the Mthatha Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of driving under the influence of liquor.

Drinking often led to an increase in stabbing crimes, killings and car hijacking, said Fatyela. "Very few" such cases were reported over the weekend, an indication the operation had "worked", he said.

Police in the area had identified Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays as "problematic days" and increased crime combating operations over this period.