DRIVERS in Strathclyde are the worst in Scotland for using mobile phones behind the wheel.

Almost 3000 motorists in the region have been hit with a £60 fine and received three penalty points after being caught by police using a mobile at the wheel.

The numbers dwarf all other Scottish regions.

Central Scotland has the second highest number of offenders, with just 738 motorists prosecuted.

Across the country, 6007 people have been caught using their phone at the wheel between March and July this year.

Police say the high rate of prosecutions shows they are taking the new law seriously and pursuing motorists who flout the mobile ban.

But road safety charities say that the figures show drivers in Strathclyde and the rest of Scotland are not taking the ban seriously.

And they are urging the government to introduce tougher penalties for those driving while chatting on a hand-held mobile.

Dianne Ferreira, from road safety charity, Brake, said: "While we are pleased so many people are being caught, we are also horrified because it means so many drivers still think it is okay to drive and use their mobile phones."

The Evening Times ran a campaign earlier this year to highlight the dangers of using mobile phones at the wheel.

Our photographers caught a number of selfish drivers, including a member of the Taxi Owners' Association, which had vowed to ban any taxi driver caught using a mobile at the wheel.

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said: "We don't want to catch people using their mobiles while driving - we want them to drive safely."

Using hand-held phones while driving was outlawed in 2003.