POLICE caught 92 drivers using their phone at the wheel during a week-long crackdown in Dorset.

Some face driving bans and others could lose their jobs following the enhanced campaign, which ran from March 1-7.

Both marked and unmarked vehicles were used, as were spotters in plain clothes a distance away from check points.

The initiative coincided with the increase in penalties for using a mobile at the wheel to six penalty points and a £200 fine.

New drivers who have been on the road for less than two years have to retake their test if they get six penalty points.

Anyone caught twice risks going to court with a possible fine of up to £1,000 and at least a six-month driving ban.

During an average week in Dorset, 17 tickets are issued to motorists for using a mobile phone at the wheel but last week officers caught 42 people in just six hours.

It has been illegal to use a hand-held phone or similar device while driving or riding a motorcycle since December 2003. But a report published by the RAC in September last year revealed 31 per cent of drivers now admit to using a mobile phone when driving, up from eight per cent in 2014.

Sergeant Joe Pardey of Dorset Police 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.

"You may think liking your friends Instagram post or Snapchatting your drive home is the most important thing at the time, but your priorities can change in a second.

"Nothing is more important than your safety and the safety of other road users and, while you think you can get away with it, it is vital that drivers realise they could kill someone.

"We are urging drivers to take responsibility for their actions and leave their phone alone. This enforcement week has been very high profile, but officers enforce mobile phone rules 24/7 and drivers shouldn’t become complacent."