STREET cleaners are seen as “easy targets” for violent abuse during Glasgow’s “minefield” weekend nightlife.

Workers have been attacked, had bottles hurled at them, suffer verbal abuse and subjected to “pranks”.

Antisocial behaviour towards them increased in wake of the horrific 2014 bin lorry crash in the City Centre.

Councillor Paul Carey now is set to suggest body cameras for Glasgow City Council cleansing staff to combat the problem.

A spokesman from trade union GMB’s council cleansing members praised the council as an employer while backing a trial of body cameras.

He said: “Friday and Saturday out in town is like a minefield, so anything can kick off at any time.

“Our guys are just doing their job - and it is a necessity - but have to deal with individuals who go out and have too much to drink and cause upset.

“While our staff are told to leave right away, there are incidents going on all the time, mostly verbal abuse.”

When Mr Carey was chairman of City Parking in 2012, he introduced body cameras for traffic wardens, which drastically reduced problems.

Now he plans to take the matter to the Environment, Sustainability and Carbon Reduction City Policy Committee.

He said: “Once people realise they’re being recorded their whole manner and their language suddenly changes."

Abuse escalated following the bin lorry crash where driver Harry Clarke passed out behind the wheel as the vehicle travelled along Queen Street.

A sheriff later ruled the accident, in which six people died and a further 15 were injured, could have been avoided if Clarke had been honest about his medical history when applying for the job.

He was later given a driving ban and told to carry out unpaid work for getting behind the wheel of his car nine months after the bin lorry accident, despite having his licence withdrawn for medical reasons.

Drunk revellers carry out cruel jokes by pretending to jump on front of cleansing service vehicles, which have also suffered missile attacks.

The GMB spokesman added:  “After the Harry Clark 2014 tragic event we were targeted, with people blaming cleansing staff around Christmas time especially.

“We’re working with large crowds of drunk people outside kebab and chip shops and they’re flinging things everywhere.

“Unfortunately, our guys are stuck in the middle of it and while we do try to avoid it, it’s our job to clean up the mess, but it makes us easy targets.

“Body cameras would work because while we work in groups we can be lone workers because we have to be away from the group for five to ten minutes.

“They would be a good kind of deterrent to people who may abuse us.

“We do have people driving by us, shouting at us and even throwing bottles at our green vans in the past.”

Trade union UNISON also backs giving the cleansing staff body cameras.

A spokesman said: “UNISON supports the use of body cams for some public services workers – in particular those jobs that are called to deal with risky or even dangerous situations.

“They help protect the public - and workers.

“We also know that if some members of the public know they are being filmed it can Influence the way they behave, which can help diffuse problems.

“They also can be useful if someone needs to review what happened at a particular event.

“So, UNISON would see their introduction generally as a positive."

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “While officer safety is an absolute priority for us, in this case the small number of recorded incidents does not warrant the substantial investment that would be required to provide bodycams for what is a large group of employees.”