There's been a huge spike in drink driving sentences in the Hutt Valley this year, in contrast to the rest of the lower North Island.

Figures obtained under the Official Information Act show there were 497 sentences given out at the Hutt Valley District Court for drink driving in the last year.

That's more than two and a half times the 2013 figure of 198.

The Hutt Valley did have the lowest number of sentences across the lower North Island, and now it has the most.