The government is seeking to improve road safety standards by introducing harsher penalties for drivers caught using their mobile phones behind the wheel.

Under the new plans, those found guilty of driving while using a mobile phone will be handed a six-point penalty instead of the current three points, while the on-the-spot financial penalty will also be doubled from £100 to £200.

This means that newly-qualified drivers - who have a six-point limit for their first two years on the road - will be at risk of losing their licence immediately if they are caught, forcing them to have to resit their test.

The new measures are scheduled for introduction in the first half of 2017 and are being implemented in response to a lack of prosecutions for this offence, amid concerns that the public are not taking the matter seriously.

Research has shown that reaction times are up to 50 per cent slower than normal when driving and using a mobile phone, with the problem being particularly widespread among younger drivers.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: "As technology develops, mobile phones are commonplace, but we need to take responsibility for our actions, and as drink or drug-driving has become socially unacceptable, so must using mobile phones at the wheel."