Clarkson in car phone investigation

Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has been photographed driving while using a mobile phone, reports The Mirror.

Adam Blake and Hayley Byford claim they saw Clarkson on the phone as he sped down the M40 in Oxfordshire in a 1970s V8 600 Grosser Mercedes.

Blake told the newspaper: "We could not believe that we'd caught him out. I used to watch him every week on Top Gear and he was always banging on about the new driving laws. My girlfriend saw he was on his mobile. She grabbed hers and took a picture of him."

The couple handed over the photo to the paper, who printed it before passing it on to the police.

"We are taking this matter very seriously and will be collecting all the available evidence to see whether there is a case to answer," a police spokesman said.

"We are grateful to The Mirror for passing the photograph to us. It will now be examined by road safety officers as part of the investigation."

The paper claimed it later confronted Clarkson with the picture, to which the motoring presenter replied: "Er, that isn't a phone."

The 47-year-old then allegedly said: "Look, I write a column for another newspaper. I'm not allowed to talk to you."

Motorists caught using a mobile phone at the wheel face three points on their driving licence and a £60 fine.