CALLED TO ACCOUNT

Cops nab drivers on their phones every 7 minutes

HARSHER penalties have not put drivers off using their phones at the wheel, with one caught every seven minutes.

Police penalised nearly 6,000 motorists in the four weeks after the tougher punishments took effect.

More than 200 drivers were caught every day and they faced six points on their licences and a £200 fine.

The sanction had been three points and a £100 fine.

New motorists now risk the loss of their licence for sending a single text.

Campaigners blasted the “selfish” drivers who ignored the crackdown, which followed a Mirror campaign.

Jack Kushner, of road safety campaign Brake, said: “Driver distrac- tion is a growing menace. It is worrying drivers don’t seem to be getting the message.”

The 5,977 number was obtained from Freedom of Information requests but seven forces did not provide data and some cases may not have been logged in time. The Met registered 2,037 offenders, meaning more than 70 drivers were caught on London roads each day. Thames Valley Police had the next biggest total of 478, Police Scotland recorded 339, Hampshire Police had 280 and Cheshire Police was on 224. One man was spotted doing online banking on the M5 near Birmingham. Another was on his phone while driving a minibus carrying 10 children in Manchester. The National Police Chiefs’ Council warned: “It isn’t a minor offence.” On Saturday we told how driver Ryan Freeth, 27, was using two phones before he hit and killed Leslie Marks, 66.