A VAN driver has lost his licence after being caught using his phone whilst driving for the second time. 

Samuel Chalk, 31, of Hunt Avenue, Netley Abbey appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. 

It comes after he was caught by police using his phone whilst behind the wheel of his Ford Transit on Northam Bridge. 

Chalk, a self-employed mechanic, told magistrates that he would lose his job if he was disqualified. 

He told them: "If I lose my licence I lose my livelihood, my home. I would lose everything if I could not work."

READ MORE: M27 speeding driver fined £500 after being caught at more than 50mph

However, magistrates chair, Jenniffer Pitt, said they could not find that a disqualification would cause "exceptional hardship". 

Chalk was given six points for the offence which took place on September 24 last year. 

He was disqualified from driving for six months having already accumulated six points on a previous occasion where he was caught using his phone whilst driving. 

He was also fined £112 and ordered to pay a £32 surcharge and £110 costs.