USING your mobile phone at the wheel could land you with a driving ban.

That is the warning from traffic police as new legislation fining drivers who use mobile phones at the wheel gets under way.

The traffic crackdown, launched last Tuesday, means anyone caught using a mobile while driving will be given a three-point penalty and a £60 fine.

Sergeant Mike Jones, of Warrington police traffic department, said: "The other day I fined a man who was texting while sitting at traffic lights, so that short message cost him not the normal 10p but £60.10 and three penalty points on his driving licence.

"It is early days, but so far the new legislation has not deterred people from chatting and driving."

If caught on four occasions, without previously receiving driving points, an offender would be banned from driving automatically.

Although figures showing the rise or fall of this offence have yet to be correlated, police believe the crackdown has had little effect.

With the mobile phone ban in force, officers will be making sure the message is hammered home to motorists flouting the law over the next few weeks.

Sgt Jones offered motorists a few tips to avoid falling foul of the law: l If a mobile phone rings, pull over and answer it.

l Use a proper hands-free kit.

l Turn off your phone until you have arrived at your destination to prevent temptation.

He added: "These days, when we investigate fatal and serious and road accidents, mobile phones are the first thing we look at to see if they were used."