Leicestershire have been docked 16 points ahead of the new Specsavers County Championship campaign after incurring five fixed penalty breaches within the space of 12 months.

On the eve of the new county season, the England and Wales Cricket Board's Cricket Discipline Committee announced the county's repeated indiscipline meant a further eight-point penalty suspended for a year was imposed.

Following a disciplinary hearing in Leicester, captain Mark Cosgrove has been suspended for one game and the club have also been fined £5,000.

Fast bowler Charlie Shreck was found to have committed a level one breach of "using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or making an obscene gesture" during Leicestershire's game against Loughborough MCCU last week.

That meant a Leicestershire player had been penalised five times in a year, with Cosgrove handed his sanction as he was leading the side on each occasion.

Shreck was found guilty of a level one breach (Getty)

While the 32-year-old will be available for their Division Two opener against Nottinghamshire, which starts on Friday, he is slated to miss the Glamorgan clash in two weeks' time, pending any appeal which may be lodged.

A statement from the CDC said: "In reaching this decision, the panel reminded Leicestershire that repeated breaches of discipline are a matter of serious concern. This is the second occasion on which the club has committed a similar offence, with all 10 fixed penalty breaches occurring within three years.

Cosgrove has been suspended for one game (Getty)

"The panel noted that the club has taken action against the latest player to incur a fixed penalty breach.