Staff and contractors working to maintain roads in West Sussex have faced escalating levels of abuse in recent months, the council has reported.
In some cases, workers have had to leave the site because of physical and verbal abuse, West Sussex County Council said.
The local authority’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Joy Dennis, said it ‘completely baffles’ her that people would abuse the staff who were working to maintain roads.
She said: ‘I understand and appreciate that people are frustrated at delays caused by roadworks or at the speed of a pothole repair being completed, but to abuse the very staff who are there to rectify the situation just doesn’t make sense.’
West Sussex said it would not hesitate to take action against those who threatened workers.