Motorists caught using a hand-held mobile telephone will risk tough new penalties, including points on their licences and disqualification, the Transport Minister said yesterday.

The new penalties will take effect from February 27, and anyone found using a phone while driving will automatically get three points on their licence and a fine of £60.

If police or the driver do not choose a fixed-penalty notice and go to court, the judge has the power to disqualify the motorist as well as impose a maximum fine of £1,000 — £2,500 for the driver of a bus, coach or goods vehicle.

The police said yesterday that the new offences included not having proper control of a vehicle, which could cover a driver being distracted by using a hands-free mobile phone kit.

The new penalties were set out in the Road Safety Act 2006, passed in November.

Announcing the start date of the penalties yesterday, Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary, said: “It’s quite simple — it’s impossible to do two things at once and do them well. We have seen a groundswell of support for this move. But, worryingly, while 92 per cent of people agree with the law, 21 per cent of drivers admit to breaking it.”

Home Office figures for 2004 show that nearly 74,000 fixed-penalty notices were issued in England and Wales for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving.

A study by the Lib Dems last year suggested this meant that only 1.1 per cent of those who admitted to the offence were being caught. The party combined the official figures and an insurance firm’s survey on driving habits to calculate that 6.7 million people used mobile phones while behind the wheel.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Those who think their call is more important than someone’s life are likely to take the threat to their licence more seriously.”

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