Wirral Magistrates Court heard on Monday that Mark James Phillips was driving a Vauxhall on Duke Street in Birkenhead on May 26 when he was spotted using a handheld device. The 42-year-old, of Moira Sephton Court in Prenton, pleaded guilty under a single justice procedure to using a handheld mobile phone while driving, an endorsable offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Phillips was fined £80, ordered to pay £130 in costs and a £32 victim surcharge, and had six points added to his licence. His driving record was endorsed with the points and payment was ordered in £20 monthly instalments starting from September 7. Mitigating circumstances were considered to avoid disqualification on the grounds of exceptional hardship.