A Balfour Beatty roadworker in Southampton was attacked with a baseball bat by a driver attempting to get by a street closure, it has emerged.

The incident was highlighted by the agency and Southampton Metropolis Council as a part of an try and stamp out abuse of roadworkers.

A survey by the Highways Service Partnership, which is comprised of Balfour Beatty Dwelling Locations and the native authority, discovered that half of its group had reported a case prior to now yr, with 58 per cent saying the abuse had taken place a minimum of month-to-month.

Balfour Beatty reactive-maintenance supervisor Brenton McClean stated: “In a single scenario a person wished to get by a street closure. He attacked my colleague, hitting him with a baseball bat – me and 4 or 5 of my different colleagues needed to restrain him whereas we waited for the police to reach.”

The van driver claimed to dwell on the opposite facet of the closure however, when requested, couldn’t title his deal with. Police later confirmed he was not a resident, McClean stated.

He added: “It was simply terrible. It wouldn’t occur outdoors of different individuals’s work, however after we’ve received our hi-vis on we actually change into a goal.

“It’s affected my psychological well being tremendously.”

Different situations of abuse have concerned verbal and bodily threats, objects together with obstacles and cones being hurled at staff, and drivers mounting pavements to keep away from street closures.

Three years in the past it was revealed that throughout the then Highways England community there have been 330 incidents of roadworker abuse reported between September 2019 and October 2020 (the latest yr for which knowledge on roadworker abuse was collected), averaging almost as soon as on daily basis. 

Balfour Beatty Dwelling Locations contract director Brian Hammersley stated: “Roadworkers are a workforce who’re no totally different to anybody else; we’ve households, mates and emotions, similar to anybody else.”

Southampton Council stated it had a “zero-tolerance coverage” relating to the abuse of staff.

Building Information contacted Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for additional remark.