MOTORISTS are being warned that they face six points on their licence and a £200 fine if they are caught using their mobile phone at the wheel.

From today, new and tougher penalties — twice as much as before — come into force.

Previously, drivers caught faced three points and a £100 fine.

And the new legislation also means newly qualified drivers may have their licence revoked on the first offence under the New Driver Act.

The move has been welcomed by Bolton Advanced Drivers' Association which welcomed the move.

Chairman of the organisation, Roy Sammons said: "This new legislation is necessary. Everybody understands the risks of using a mobile phone whilst driving, hand held or hands free.

"Of course the legislation applies to hand held mobile phones. If we are to believe the statistics, phones are being used not for making calls, but for other things such as for social media.

"The use of phones while driving is a concern for this organisation and other professional organisations. But enforcement is another matter, police do not have the manpower, unless there is a campaign.

"People will think that they will be able to carrying on doing what they do, thinking they will not get caught.

"But they have to realise that during a two-second glance at the phone the car has travelled quite a distance, the driver won't see the child run across the road, the car ahead."

Mr Sammons said that unless people recognised their responsibilities while driving there was a strong argument for exploring new technology which would not allow phones to be used while the car was moving.

He added that the driving course provided by the organisation had a strong focus on making motorists aware of the hazards facing them and reaction times.

Mr Sammons said: "We need using mobile phones to become as anti-social as drink-driving."

GMP Inspector Tony Allt, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: "Unfortunately, there are still a number of drivers who selfishly continue to endanger the lives of fellow road users, as well as their own, by using a mobile phone while driving.

"To coincide with the national campaign and the introduction of the tougher penalties, we will have a number of marked and unmarked patrol vehicles and road side checks to identify and stop motorists who break the law.

"Using a mobile phone or any device that distracts your attention while driving is simply wrong for the road."

To raise awareness among recently qualified drivers, the police along with with the fire service will hold an educational event for students at Bury College on Friday.

Students will have the chance to try a simulator that will safely demonstrate the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.

GMFRS Head of Prevention Paul Etches, said: "All too often our firefighters attend serious and life-changing incidents caused by drivers being distracted whilst driving. Maintaining control of any vehicle at all times is the only way to reduce these often tragic outcomes."

Graham Jones, Chair of the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership, said: "There’s no excuse for using a mobile phone at the wheel. Missing a call won’t kill anyone – a collision might.

“The safest option is to switch your phone off before driving. If you do leave it switched on, keep it out of reach and, if it rings, find a safe and legal place to stop and call back.

“It’s not worth risking your and other people’s lives – and your livelihood – to use the phone while driving."

As well as increasing traffic operations, GMP will also be spreading the word on the new legislation and the dangers associated with using a mobile while driving as part of the #WrongForTheRoad social media campaign.

Tonight from 5pm to 7pm, GMP will be holding a twitterchat to discuss how the new legislation will affect motorists. Those wishing to ask a question should tweet these to @gmpolice with the hashtag #AskGMP.

Anyone with information of persistent offenders who drive while using their mobile phone should contact local officers or call 101 with details.