Drivers across Preston are being caught and hit with tougher new penalties for using a mobile phone behind the wheel.

Preston Police have been on patrol to enforce the new regulations.

Any driver seen using a mobile phone while behind the wheel now receives six points and a £200 fine.

For a young or newly qualified driver this will lead to an automatic disqualification of their licence.

A lorry driver was caught after driving by a marked police car with a phone in his hand – and according to police could now lose his job.

Read more: BMW driver caught speeding on motorway near Preston

Preston Police tweeted on Friday afternoon two other drivers, one of a hatchback and another of a truck, had both been caught and issued with the new penalties. The driver of the hatchback was doing 85mph on the M6 near Preston.

Chief Inspector Damian Kitchen said ahead of the new laws coming in: “I would urge anyone getting behind the wheel to think before picking up a mobile phone, and to those who are passengers or know that someone is likely to be driving, don’t distract them with calls or texts or other forms of communication. Leave it until you’ve finished your journey and have stopped driving.”

Police are also responding to reports from members of the public about repeat offenders. Anyone who witnesses a driver using a mobile phone behind the wheel can report it on 101.