Journalist reportedly fined £200 for using phone at wheel while travelling to cover new crackdown

From the 1st March, drivers using their phones at the wheel will be doubly penalised; being fined £200 and have six points put on their license.

Journalists, keen to explain the situation to viewers and readers, set off to cover the new rules at a Thames Valley Police organised press event in Abingdon, Oxfordshire on Wednesday morning.

However, one allegedly got caught using their phone while at the wheel, and faced the new penalty while on the way to cover it.

Eagle-eyed journalist Dominic Reynolds from 5 News took a photograph of the incident, writing on Twitter: "Breaking Irony News: a journalist driving here to cover phone/driving crackdown has just been busted: £200, 6pts".

Many thought the tweet seemed too good to be true, but the news channel has confirmed it happened in a post on its Facebook page.

Mr Reynolds also replied to naysayers on Twitter, writing that it did indeed happen.

Freelance reporter Steve Cottrell was also at the scene, and told The Telegraph what happened.

He said he witnessed the event while filming for ITV news.

He explained: "The police were pulling people off the A415 Ock Street using plain-clothed Police spotters to indicate to uniformed officers further down the road (where we were). The specific offence being targeted was mobile phone use while driving. There were plenty caught, and as the photographers and cameramen (me, BBC Oxford and Channel 5 News) filmed them, various reporters asked for comments from the drivers, and variously some responded, most didn't.

"At one point I overheard a policeman saying that the lady he had just 'done' was a member of the press on her way to this very event. I certainly didn't recognise her, neither did my colleagues."

The Telegraph has reached out to the Thames Valley Police, 5 News and Mr Reynolds for more information.

The crackdown on using mobile phones at the wheel began on the 1st March, and it seems some have already faced the penalty.

Motorists caught using a phone at the wheel face losing their license if using their mobile telephone within 2 years of passing their test.

Additionally, the police have begun a seven-day crackdown, featuring extra patrols and an "increased focus" on stopping people using their phones while driving.

The Department for Transport has said around 3,600 drivers were given penalties during the last co-ordinated enforcement week between 23-29 January.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "It may seem innocent, but holding and using your phone at the wheel risks serious injury and even death to yourself and other road users.

"Doubling penalties will act as a strong deterrent to motorists tempted to pick up their phone while driving and will also mean repeat offenders could find themselves banned from our roads if they are caught twice."