AN MP has spoken of her delight at getting tougher punishments for drivers caught using mobile phones at the wheel.

Darwen and Rossendale MP Janet Anderson (pictured) has campaigned for six years to get changes made to the law after her Private Members Bill in 2001.

Mrs Anderson said: "It's been a long slog, but I'm really delighted the Government have made the punishments tougher."

Drivers could be locked up for two years for using mobile phones behind the wheel and drivers in England and Wales who cause death on the roads could face life behind bars.

Using a mobile phone, sat-nav or an MP3 player while at the wheel will be treated as dangerous driving if a motorist is judged to have posed a danger to others. Dangerous driving comes with a two-year maximum prison sentence. Mrs Anderson added: "There is still a problem with enforcement and I see people all the time in my constituency driving with one hand and operating a phone with the other."

The law was toughened previously in February, with drivers facing a £60 fine and three points on their licence.

Mrs Anderson was alerted to the dangers of mobile phones and driving when she heard of a case involving a lorry driver.

She said: "There was a case long ago involving a lorry driver who was texting his girlfriend while driving and smacked into the back of a car, and then kept texting.

"I got involved with the road charity Brake who met me in the Commons with a lot of people who had been seriously injured as a result of people driving and using mobile phones."

Jools Townsend, head of education at Brake, the road safety charity, said: "We welcome these new prosecution guidelines, which recognise that using a mobile while driving is an incredibly dangerous act.

"Too many people are still flouting the law and endangering lives by using their mobile behind the wheel.

"We hope this sends out a strong message to drivers that talking or texting while driving won't be tolerated."