Staff on the roadside are abused by irate drivers

A ROAD worker in Staffordshire was “shoved” by an angry driver while clearing a gully, amid growing concerns over the abuse highways staff have to face from motorists while during their jobs.

The incident occurred in late 2020 when a tanker tried to clear the drainage on a South Staffordshire road.

As the tanker was stationary, while staff worked to clear the gully, a vehicle approached from behind.

The irate driver immediately began pressing his horn continuously.

After one of the workers signalled to the driver behind that the works would only take a minute, the driver got out of the car and approached him, becoming very abusive and threatening and shoving the workman.

As the worker tried to use his phone to call the police it ended up dropping to the ground, a spokesman for the highways authority said.

Details were revealed as Staffordshire County Council said last year in the county there were 764 incidents where road workers were abused by motorists while doing their jobs.

These included where drivers either entered roadwork safety zones through cones, threw objects, spat at or verbally abused highway operatives.

Councillor David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Our highways crews have an important job to do in maintaining our 6,000km plus of roads and making sure they are safe for people to use.

“Crews work in all weathers and often in difficult and challenging conditions, whether it be carrying out repairs on running roads or helping to keep roads clear of snow and ice during the winter.

“The abuse of our crews, whether it’s verbal or physical is totally unacceptable and whilst it’s only a small number of people who choose to behave this way, we want to let people know we won’t stand for it.”

Now, a national campaign, Stamp it Out to highlight and stop abuse of highways workers, has been launched by the charity Safer Highways.

The campaign is asking people to sign a petition to change the law to give road workers and those working on the frontline greater protection against violence and abuse.

Chief Inspector Mat Derrick, of Staffordshire police, said: “When works are being carried out on our roads, motorists must adhere to the controls and measures put in place for the safety of workers and themselves.

“Ignoring a traffic regulation order is an offence and depending on the circumstances of the incident, the driver could face prosecution for dangerous driving or driving without due care.

“It is unacceptable to drive into safety zones and to furthermore verbally abuse people who are working on our road network.

“We will investigate such incidents and take the necessary enforcement action to send out a clear message that such behaviour on Staffordshire’s roads will not be tolerated.”