HOME Secretary David Blunkett has praised East Lancashire MP Janet Anderson for her leading the way in cracking down on the use of mobile phones by drivers.

She introduced a Private Members Bill which led to the Government taking action.

The Rossendale and Darwen Labour MP asked Mr Blunkett about the issue when the Home Affairs Select Committee at the House of Commons of which she is a member, discussed fines and fixed penalty notices with the Cabinet minister.

She asked Mr Blunkett: "Are you happy with the level of enforcement of that ban, because I think most of us see every day that this is widely flouted?"

Mr Blunkett replied: "The police did warn it would take time to bring in and they would use warnings rather than prosecution in the early stages, so there will not be from those early months a clear, definable and discernable difference."

He said Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology would eventually help police to catch those breaking the law in the near future.

But he added: "The real point in doing it, and I congratulate you on your own efforts in bringing this to the fore, is to get people to change their behaviour, just like in terms of the misuse of fireworks."

Speaking after the meeting Mrs Anderson said: "I am particularly concerned that the Government's ban on this dangerous practice seems to be widely flouted in my constituency.

"I was very pleased with the Home Secretary's response and that this offence should be trackable and this will be greatly helped by the introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition."