Roadworkers in Wales have spoken out after a driver threw urine at them during a shocking roadside attack, shining a light on the daily abuse faced by those trying to keep Welsh roads safe.
One of the workers targeted in the incident decided to go public with his experience, fed up with what he and his colleagues are regularly putting up with while simply trying to do their jobs.
The worker described the moment a driver, apparently furious at road works causing delays, launched the disgusting attack on the crew. Rather than stay silent, he chose to speak out to highlight just how bad things have gotten for people working on Welsh roads.
It is not an isolated incident either. Road maintenance crews across Wales have long complained about hostility from drivers frustrated by lane closures and traffic delays. But throwing bodily fluids at workers crosses a line that many in the industry say is becoming harder to ignore.
The worker said he and his colleagues turn up every day to do a job that keeps drivers safe, fixing the very roads those same drivers rely on. Being met with abuse, and in this case something far worse, has taken a real toll on morale.
Road works are an unavoidable part of maintaining ageing infrastructure, and the delays they cause are a genuine frustration for many motorists. But safety campaigners have repeatedly pointed out that the workers inside those coned-off zones are among the most vulnerable people on any road. They have no cab to protect them, no seatbelt to save them. They are exposed to fast-moving traffic every single shift.
Attacking them, whether physically or in the way described here, is not just unpleasant. In Wales, as across the rest of the UK, assaulting a worker can carry serious legal consequences, and incidents like this are increasingly being reported to police.
The worker who came forward said he wanted drivers to understand the human cost of this kind of behaviour. These are real people, with families, doing a job that needs doing. A traffic delay is an inconvenience. What happened to his crew was something far more degrading.
Industry groups have been pushing for tougher protections for road workers for years, including calls for clearer signage, better barriers, and stronger penalties for those who target crews with abuse or violence. Some have called for dedicated legislation similar to protections that exist for emergency service workers.
For now, the worker who shared his story says he hopes speaking out will at least make some drivers think twice before letting their frustration boil over into something they cannot take back.
Anyone who witnesses abuse or assault against road workers in Wales is encouraged to report it to the police.