Councils call for action after road workers abused, spat on and even shot at with crossbow in West Midlands

Councils are backing calls for an end to threatening behaviour towards road workers after campaign group Stamp It Out revealed there were more than 360 cases of physical or verbal abuse against road workers across the West Midlands, within a 12-month period.

Of those cases, 324 were verbal attacks, while 36 involved physical abuse, including instances of people spitting in the faces of road workers, the campaign group said earlier this year.

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In the most extreme cases, Stamp It Out said a road worker who was picking up litter was shot at, and narrowly missed, by a bolt from someone with a crossbow.

In a campaign against the issue, Balfour Beatty, who undertake projects around the country, said 29 per cent of road workers were seeking new roles due to abuse they faced, adding that 62 per cent of road workers' mental health has been affected by abuse.

The company hosted an MP drop-in event in at Westminster last month to highlight the issue and "alarming" statistics. Attendees heard first-hand accounts from road workers who shared experiences of verbal threats, physical assaults, and even being targeted by vehicles.

Staffordshire County Council said incidents of abuse have caused delays to its roadwork schemes.

Cabinet member for strategic highways, Peter Mason said: "Our highways teams have an important job to do in fixing our roads and keeping them well maintained in all weather conditions. Unfortunately, we have had incidents of abuse which has threatened their safety and caused unnecessary delays to schemes.

"There is always a lot of public focus leading to lots of political rhetoric around roadworks, the disruption they cause and the effects this has on communities and businesses. 

"It is a challenging issue to get the balance right between works and road availability. We understand people will want to raise genuine concerns, but we’d ask they do so in a positive manner – otherwise they will add fuel to a highly charged environment which only increases the likelihood of such abuse happening.

"No-one deserves to be abused at work. The safety of our road crews always comes first and any threatening behaviour shown towards them will not be tolerated."

In response to a question by Anneliese Dodds MP, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said the Government "strongly condemns" any abuse directed at roadworkers.

A Walsall Council spokesperson added: "Walsall Council backs the calls to end abuse to our road workers. All workers should be able to go to work without receiving abuse of any kind, and this particular group of employees are out and about all-year round, in all conditions, serving communities and making roads safe. 

"We’d like to thank those residents who support and champion the work they do and ask for basic kindness and respect from those who don’t."