SEVENTY drivers have been caught in a crackdown on using mobile phones while driving.

Police in County Durham and Cleveland are in the middle of a fortnight-long campaign against drivers using handsets while behind the wheel.

They hope to educate motorists about the potentially fatal dangers posed by losing concentration on the road ahead while using a hand held device, which is illegal.

Mobile warning signs with the message have been parked at busy stretches of roads through the area. And extra patrols touring the region’s roads have pulled over drivers and given them £60 fixed penalty tickets and three points on their licence for speaking or texting on handsets.

Inspector Ed Turner, of the Joint Operations Unit of Durham and Cleveland, said: “I want to get the message put there about how serious and how dangerous it is to be distracted.

“We are allowed to have Bluetooth but when people use a handset it is illegal and it is illegal for a reason – you are distracted.

“You can get three points and a £60 fixed penalty. That is going to go up before too long and it will start hurting people in the pockets.

“The bigger picture for me is the danger and people causing accidents.

”That momentary lapse might not just get you a fine it could get you a prosecution for careless or dangerous driving."