MORE than 200 drivers a day were caught using mobile phones behind the wheel in the month after tough new laws came into force.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act revealed UK police caught almost 6,000 drivers in the four weeks after March 1.

The Daily Echo has long-campaigned against mobile phone usage at the wheel, often publishing galleries of drivers flaunting the law to highlight the issue.

When Dorset Police launched a crackdown the same day tougher penalties came into force, it took less than five minutes for the first fixed penalty notice to be issued.

After six hours police had handed-out another 41 fixed penalty notices for the same offence.

Sgt Joe Pardy, from the Alliance Roads Policing Department, said: "As an officer who deals with the often tragic aftermath when a driver is distracted at the wheel, I would like to make a personal plea to the driving public to think about their actions."

From the beginning of March, drivers caught using a mobile have received six points on their licence and a minimum £200 fine.

Dorset motorists flaunting the law are also no longer eligible for the drivers awareness course.

Under the new regulations, drivers with less than two years’ experience caught using a mobile phone will have their licence revoked and have to retake their test.