Road workers suffer abuse

A MAJORITY of road workers have been victims of physical and verbal abuse by motorists, according to a survey.

Nearly three-quarters of employees from trunk road firms BEAR Scotland, Scotland TranServ and AMEY said they received verbal abuse from motorists in the past year while a third had missiles thrown at them.

A safety campaign is being launched in conjunction with Transport Scotland to speak up for workers. A SCOTTISH rower has been rescued – just four days after beginning his attempt to cross the North Atlantic in a boat he built himself.

Duncan Hutchison, from Lochinver in Sutherland, was taken off his homemade craft by the US Coastguard 20 miles from the coast of New Jersey.

His boat was initially towed back towards land but was then abandoned to the sea because of fierce weather.

Petty Officer Arthur Flaherty of the US Coastguard Station Barnegat Light said Duncan had been “beat up” by the weather but was otherwise well.

The alarm was raised about 2.30am US time on Monday.

Flaherty said: “We took him off his boat – at the time there were 10ft high waves. He was beat up from being out for a while in those conditions. We towed his boat to about a mile offshore and then set it adrift because of the conditions.”

Volunteer lifeboatman Duncan has spent his working life at sea, most recently including in the offshore oil industry.

The 52-year-old, who spent three years building the boat, set out from the Manhattan Yacht Club, in New York, on his 3400mile voyage on Thursday.

Duncan expected it take 90 to 100 days to row to Lochinver.

Before the voyage, he said the loneliness of being at sea on his own would be the hardest part of the adventure.