A DRIVER was caught using their phone as they travelled through a school drop off zone.

Sussex Police officer PC Pete May said the area had been busy at the time as children met parents outside the gates.

He stopped the driver and slapped them with a £200 fine and six points on their licence.

He took to Twitter to express his shock at the driver’s flaunting of the law, asking “Why, just why?”.

He later issued a warning of the dangers of using a phone while driving.

PC Pete May, of the Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “It goes without saying that anyone driving a vehicle should give their full attention to the road, not just for their own safety but for others’ too.

“By using a handheld device at the wheel, you are taking your attention away from the road, which can severely affect your judgement, your reaction times and your awareness of what’s around you.

“A serious or even fatal collision at 60-70mph could be caused by a minor lapse in concentration.

“Throw a mobile phone into the mix, and you reduce your level of concentration even further.

“The legislation which came into effect in 2017 means you only need to be caught on your phone twice to receive 12 points on your licence, which can result in a driving ban.

“In simple terms, no text or call is worth paying £200 for. Nor is it worth potentially losing your life.

“Our advice is to put your phone away where it won’t distract you.

“And if you really do need to use your phone for anything, make sure you pull over where it is safe to do so and turn the ignition off.

“Don’t risk your life by using it while driving.”

This is not the first time in recent months a driver has been caught disregarding the law.

In July Katherine Fowler was caught driving over the limit.

But when police pulled her over she told them she “likes a drink when it’s sunny”.

The housekeeper, who also told police she “only had one”, was arrested and charged with having 55mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath in her system. The legal limit is 35mcg.

She was disqualified from driving for 36 months and ordered to pay a £415 fine, £85 costs and a £41 victim surcharge.