CROYDON'S drivers are the worst behaved in Britain, according to the DVLA.
Figures show that drivers living in the CR0 postcode have an accumulative 6,855 points between them – almost 1,000 points ahead of second worst Slough.
One Croydon driver was shown to have accumulated 24 points, double the 12 points to which a ban would normally be attached.
Points are given out to drivers for offences ranging from speeding to driving with a mobile phone.
The Advertiser snapped seven drivers on their mobile phones in under an hour – and spotted many more – at the dangerous junction of Brighton Road and Purley Cross.
If someone is caught on their mobile phone, they face three automatic penalty points and a £60 fine.
Croydon cycling campaigner Kristian Gregory believes it should be treated as a more serious offence.
He said: "Drivers on their mobile phones is one of the most irksome things for cyclists in particular because of the danger it poses to us.
"But if you look at other non-cycling road safety issues, then it is clearly a problem there too.
"On my bike, I can always tell if someone is on their phone. As a driver, it's your responsibility to be fully aware at all times."
Bans of between six and 12 months can be handed out to drivers who reach the 12-point limit.
However, DVLA figures show that more than 8,000 drivers in the UK are still driving with 12 or more points to their name.
Croydon police said that while traffic officers are diligent in Croydon, many of the statistics could be attributed to motoring offences that occur outside the borough.
A police spokesman said: "Traffic officers carry out regular patrols in Croydon.
"Local Safer Neighbourhood Teams also carry out enforcement operations in their local wards where speeding or road safety has been identified as a priority.
"But it is possible that a fair proportion of the figures relate to offences outside the borough."
