GARDAÍ IN DUBLIN have issued a penalty notice to a motorist who they caught driving while watching a soccer match on their mobile phone.

The individual was spotted by members of the Garda’s traffic division in north Dublin yesterday evening, when they were watching a match on a hands-free kit attached to their windscreen.

The Garda traffic unit’s Twitter account posted about the incident, suggesting that the individual was caught watching the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Barcelona.

“Champions League update….Motorist detected by DMR North Roads Policing Unit watching match on mobile phone while driving!” the account tweeted.

The tweet added that the motorist would be issued with a Fixed Charge Penalty Notice.

Under road safety laws which came into effect in 2014, drivers caught using their mobile phone to text or access other media face fines of up to €1,000, even if the device is in a hands-free kit.

Motorists who are convicted under the regulations must attend court, where the sum of the fine will be set by a judge.