Council worker abuse reports re-examined by police

Reports from Cumberland Council included one worker being pushed down an embankment

Four incidents where council staff were subjected to physical and verbal abuse from members of the public will be re-examined by the police.

Recent reports from Cumberland Council included one worker being pushed down an embankment and another nearly being crushed when a lorry drove through a closed road.

The council's assistant director of highways and transport Karl Melville recently told members of the strategic board that a new awareness campaign would be launched over the summer aimed at reducing attacks on council staff.

At a meeting on Thursday, Mr Melville said Cumbria's police and crime commissioner had taken interest in the issue and the cases would be looked at again.

Last year, a similar awareness campaign featured posters of council workers' children placed near roadworks, to remind drivers that those working there have families.

People were reminded that council workers had families

Mr Melville previously told members a lorry went through a road closure at a bridge in Sebergham, nearly crushing one of the workers, while in a separate incident a vehicle travelled through a road closure and collided with the back of a wagon.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, monthly figures showed incidents of council workers being abused shot up from 34 in March to 64 in April.

Mr Melville said re-examining the incidents would send a clear message that they were supporting staff.

"Any council staff shouldn't be treated any differently to emergency services," he said.