Cumberland Council launches campaign to improve road worker safety

Cumberland Council has announced the launch of a major awareness campaign aimed at improving road safety and addressing abuse directed at public-facing workers across the region.

The initiative builds on last year’s successful campaign around road closures and maintenance works.

The campaign delivers a simple but powerful reminder — behind every uniform is a person — reinforcing that abuse of any kind is unacceptable. The council is calling on residents, road users, and visitors to treat staff with respect and kindness as they go about their essential work.

Real people, real messages

Large-scale posters featuring actual council employees will be placed across council buildings, reception areas, and highway network locations. These displays highlight that staff are local community members — friends, neighbours, and family members — who deserve to carry out their duties safely and with dignity.

Cumberland Councillor Denise Rollo, Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said:“We want the public to understand that abuse towards our staff, whether verbal, physical or psychological, will not be tolerated. Most of our employees live right here in Cumbria. They have partners, friends, and children in the area. You wouldn’t want your loved one to go to work and feel intimidated or unsafe, and we don’t expect that for our staff either.”

Supporting safer workplaces

The campaign will appear through a wide range of channels including digital signage, pop-up displays, roadside boards, community noticeboards, and social media updates.

To enhance safety and accountability, Cumberland Council will introduce several measures:

• Bodycams will be issued to selected workers to record abusive behaviour or traffic violations.

• Video evidence will be shared with police authorities where necessary for investigation or prosecution.

• Mobile CCTV and signage cameras will be deployed in known high-risk areas to deter aggressive conduct.

Initially focused on the Highways and Transport teams, the initiative will gradually expand to cover all council departments in the coming weeks.