MOTORISTS across East Lancashire are flouting the law and continuing to use their mobile phones whilst driving.

More than 800 motorists have been fined for using hand-held phones in the county since it became illegal last December.

But police believe the practice is much more widespread as officers have to catch someone in the act before they can issue a £30 fine.

They have now launched a crackdown in response to complaints from furious law-abiding drivers who see people going unpunished for using mobiles out of the sight of officers.

Today motoring groups said the move highlighted the fact people had slipped back into their old, dangerous habits.

From this week and until the end of the year, officers will be setting up checkpoints on various busy roads across the county on the lookout for people using hand-held mobiles.

Until now, the new law has been enforced on an ad-hoc basis with drivers fined when spotted by police officers. And since December 1 last year, 863 £30 fines have been handed out.

Chief Inspector Tracie O'Gara, head of road policing for Lancashire, said: "Officers have to catch someone using their mobile phone, so it is disheartening to see 800 have been fined.

"The dangers have been highlighted and the new law has also been well-publicised. We want to clamp down on it and are running the campaign until the end of the year as a result."

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said: "When the law came in there was a lot of publicity and people did seem abide by the law. But enforcement has been so low drivers have slipped back into their old, dangerous habits.

"We need this sort of crackdown to bring the law to the attention of motorists again.

"The Government is also looking at raising the fine from £30 to £60 and giving three penalty points, so that makes it a much more serious offence and will help."

Staff from Lancashire County Council's road safety group will launch an advertising campaign and handing out leaflets at football matches.

Neil Cunliffe, the council's road safety group manager, said: "It is now illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone when you're driving, even when you're stopped at traffic light or in a queue of traffic.

"Not only do you risk lives, drivers caught using a mobile phone also risk a fine. Even if you're a careful driver, it's easy to be distracted by a phone call or text message - and that split second lapse in concentration could result in a crash."

No other police forces have released figures for the same period to show how the Lancashire mobile phone problem compares but by February, Strathclyde had issued 781 fines, West Midlands 440, Thames Valley 255 and Greater Manchester 244.

Cleveland hands out an average of 70 tickets every two weeks, while Avon and Somerset can do up to 90 a month.

Leicester police issued 272 fines just in June.

In Northern Ireland, 1,000 tickets have been handed out since March, when the new law was introduced.