Road repair workers threatened with knives and bats amid rage over potholes

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleRoad workers for infrastructure company Balfour Beatty are experiencing a significant increase in abuse, including threats with knives and baseball bats, and physical assaults, often linked to road rage over potholes. The company reports approximately 600 incidents of abuse weekly against its staff, who are responsible for road repairs across the UK. In response, Balfour Beatty has equipped staff with body-worn cameras, developed an app to identify abuse hotspots, increased CCTV, and provided conflict resolution training. Incidents range from verbal abuse and objects being thrown to drivers mounting footpaths and racially abusing workers, with only one prosecution secured despite numerous reports to the police. The rise in aggression is attributed to public frustration over the poor state of UK roads, with a national backlog of £18.62 billion in carriageway repairs, prompting calls for a 'culture change' to protect workers. In fullRoad rage leads to record levels of abuse with road repair company issuing bodycameras to its staffThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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