A road safety campaigner called for tough penalties against drivers using hand-held mobile phones as a Government consultation on banning the practise started today.

Carole Whittingham, of SCARD, a support group for the families of people killed on the roads, said any ban should be backed by adequate penalties.

"It is blatantly obvious that something needs to be done to stop this dangerous practise and to protect other road users," said Mrs Whittingham, of Brighouse.

"You see a lot of people, mostly men unfortunately, attempting difficult manoeuvres with one hand on the wheel and the other on a mobile phone.

"The penalties need to be quite severe to stop people from doing this. If the people caught breaking such a law were given a £500 fine and docked six penalty points I am sure they would think twice about doing it again."

Keighley MP Ann Cryer and Shipley MP Chris Leslie have backed a ban on drivers using hand-held mobiles.

Mrs Cryer said: "This practise is dangerous and is going to be responsible for an increasing number of deaths unless something is done to stop it.

"All it takes is one child to walk out in front of a driver who is concentrating on his phone and not the road and you will have a death on your hands."

Mr Leslie said it was a "necessary step" to look at whether the law could be changed to improve safety on the roads.

"Obviously driving while on the phone is not as safe as giving your full concentration to the road," he said. "Maybe there are also ways of encouraging people to use hands-free phones that will allow drivers to keep both hands on the wheel."

Research has shown that drivers are four times more likely to have an accident if they are using a mobile phone.

The consultation seeks views on the possible introduction of a ban on hand-held phones and asks for opinions on issues such as what, if any, exemptions might be needed.

Road Safety Minister David Jamieson said: "We know that driving a vehicle with a hand-held phone is dangerous but there is still a core of motorists who are ignoring warnings. This consultation should leave no-one in any doubt that we are serious about the dangers that this practise presents to drivers and all road users."