DRIVERS in Bournemouth are continuing the flout the law despite increased penalties and warnings about the dangers of using mobile phones at the wheel.

The Daily Echo has been campaigning against offenders for more than 10 years and this week was no different when a photographer caught numerous drivers on camera.

This time we have included an image of a cyclist using his phone while attempting to negotiate a busy roundabout in traffic.

The shocking images once again show car drivers as well as van drivers who appear to be working at the time of their offence.

The penalty for using a mobile phone at the wheel recently increased from three to six penalty points and a £200 but the increase does not appear to have made a difference.

Drivers with less than two years' experience who are caught face having their licences revoked and having to retake their driving tests.

Mobile phone use has been attributed to many deaths on UK roads, including the case of Tomasz Kroker.

Kroker was jailed for 10 years following a horror crash on the A34 which led to the deaths of Tracy Houghton, 45, her sons Ethan, 13, and Joshua, 11, and her partner’s daughter Aimee Goldsmith, also 11.

Reading Crown Court he was scrolling through music on his phone and barely looked at the road for a kilometre before ploughing into a car containing his victims.

Following a recent campaign in Dorset, 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."

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: "A licence to drive can be lethal in the wrong hands. Police officers cannot be everywhere and the responsibility to drive safely should not be dependent on the risk of being caught.

"All motorists have a fundamental responsibility to behave with due care and attention, drive safely and ensure they do not put themselves in danger."