The number of people caught using their mobile phone while driving in parts of Surrey, including Kingston, has increased almost 10-fold in the space of four years.

It has been an offence to use a mobile phone for making calls, sending messages or accessing the internet while driving in England, Scotland or Wales since 2003.

That rule was amended in 2022, with drivers caught holding and using a device for any reason (unless in an emergency) now receiving a penalty of a £200 fine and six penalty points, something called a CU80 endorsement.

The number of CU80 endorsements issued to drivers across the UK has risen from 6,431 in 2020 to 39,085 in 2023.

That's six-times higher than in the space of just three years.

Kingston was in the top 5 postcode areas for the most endorsements.

Kingston has one for every 243 drivers.