- Road 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.
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