Roadworkers are being abused by motorists leading to mental health problems a new government survey has found.

The survey which covered hundreds of staff working for the main firms contracted to carry our maintenance and repair of the roads found one in four said abuse, both verbal and physical has left them with mental health issues.

Two in three said they had been verbally abused, one in ten workers reported they have been abused physically in the last year and one in five said they had something thrown at them.

One worker for BEAR Scotland told of one incident recently.

John Willox said: “I was operating a Stop/Go board at a work site. A car pulled up, the driver got out and verbally abused me aggressively. Eventually he got back into his car and then tried to drive around me. He mounted the verge, knocked over the Stop/Goboard and actually clipped the side of my body to get past.

“He continued to shout abuse at other members of the team and drove dangerously through the live works area, speeding off before the police arrived. It was lucky no-one was seriously injured.”

Graeme Day, Transport Minister, said “The abuse of our roadworkers is completely unacceptable. No one deserves to face this kind of behaviour while doing their job.”

Iain Murray, BEAR Scotland managing director, said: “It is totally unacceptable to expect regular verbal abuse that in the past has seeped over into physical abuse in your daily working life.”