THE honeymoon is over for motorists who use mobile telephones while driving.

Police, who gave road users a period of grace to get used to a new law banning the use of hand-held sets while driving, say the time has come for rigorous enforcement.

Cleveland Police patrols, in both marked and unmarked cars, have been told to target motorists who use mobile phones while driving. Sergeant Nick Walker, spokesman for Operation Bluetooth, on Teesside, said: "The mobile phone law came into effect at the beginning of December 2003 and does make a massive contribution to road safety. We had a period of grace in which drivers were given warnings and advice but unfortunately many people still think this law does not apply to them. The time has now come for rigorous enforcement."

The crackdown will include drivers who use mobile phones while stuck in traffic jams, at junctions and traffic lights.

People who pull off the road and park in a safe place to make or receive a call are within the law.

Between January and December last year, 1,067 drivers were prosecuted in Cleveland for mobile phone offences.

Sergeant Walker said: "People who spot a marked patrol car are quick to put their phones down. They obviously know it is wrong and many have been caught out by officers travelling in unmarked vehicles."

Drivers who are caught are issued with a £30 fixed penalty.

Those motorists failing to pay up can be fined up to £1,000 in the courts, while the fine of lorry and bus drivers is as high as £2,500.