This is the clever new trick police are using to catch dodgy drivers on their phones

Officers in Leeds are driving an undercover bus to patrol for traffic offences including using mobile phones, failing to stop for red lights and dangerous driving offences in general. 

Police officers jump on board the double decker bus and use cameras on the top deck to catch motorists breaking the law. 

The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that a driver was caught using his phone at the wheel just FIVE minutes into the bus going out on the roads to catch dodgy drivers.

He was handed a £200 fine and 6 points on his licence.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "Only 5 minutes into our journey and our first driver has been stopped.

"Mobile phone offences now receive 6 points and a £200 fine."

A similar scheme has been launched in the West Midlands with plain clothed officers taking to public transport. 

Officers are equipped with video cameras peering down at passing motorists on the lookout for distracted drivers.

Information is radioed to police bikers who divert offenders to a designated site where they are given an educational input, including a hard-hitting, virtual reality video highlighting the potentially devastating consequences of using a phone while driving.

PC Mark Hodson said: 'Using mobile phones while driving is proven to be as dangerous as drink driving; it can devastate lives and people need to understand this isn't acceptable.

'We want to create a credible, constant threat of prosecution to induce wholesale driver behavioural change and make our roads safer.

'Buses give us a perfect vantage point into cars and also the cabs of lorries and trucks.

'Offenders will be given a roadside educational input on the dangers of distracted driving and also face the prospect of a hefty fine plus six points on their licence. 

'We will look at particular circumstances but there will also be some drivers, ones who've been particularly reckless, who we will charged and take to court.'

You can get 6 penalty points and a £200 fine if you use a hand-held phone when driving. You'll also lose your licence if you passed your driving test in the last 2 years.

You can get 3 penalty points if you don't have a full view of the road and traffic ahead or proper control of the vehicle.