Widespread condemnation after Roadworker ‘struck by van’ during Oxford road closure

Reports of physical and verbal abuse of staff during a road closure in Oxford, including a worker being ‘struck by a van’ that drove through the barriers, has been condemned by a local councillor.

Oxford Road has been closed from the Eastern Bypass at Littlemore Roundabout to the junction with Dudgeon Drive, since Monday, September 1.

The closure has caused traffic chaos for residents and commuters.

Councillor David Henwood, who represents Littlemore on the county council for the Independent Oxford Alliance, said the site’s project manager told him that staff had faced verbal abuse while working on the road.

He added that there had been two incidents where a transit van had forced its way through the barriers and struck a member of staff, while another member of staff was hit by a car.

Following these incidents, CCTV has been installed on the site and staff have been told to wear body cameras.

Signs have also been put up near the works, which read: “Aggressive behaviour towards our staff and operatives will not be tolerated and all offenders will be reported to the police”.

Councillor Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport, visited the site last Friday, September 12, to meet residents, along with councillor Henwood and city councillor Tiago Corais.

Councillor Henwood said: “I raised concerns that staff or the engineers have been both verbally and physically abused.

“They have now had to start to install CCTV and body cameras, because it’s simply ridiculous to put the safety of staff at risk.”

He added that the site manager believes those responsible for the abuse are not Littlemore residents, but are commuting from nearby areas.

He said: “Most residents understand the situation and have been very patient, but sadly some people have been too inpatient and putting people and staff at risk.”

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: "There have been reports from the UK Power Solutions workforce on site of both verbal and physical abuse directed towards them while they are trying to carry out their work.

"Thames Valley Police has become involved, and the team has been equipped with body cameras as a precautionary measure.

"We understand that delays lead to frustration, but there is no excuse for verbal or physical abuse towards workers carrying out essential work and it will not be tolerated."

Thames Valley Police declined to comment.

The road, which is being closed to allow for electrical upgrades, is on track to reopen on Monday, September 22.

Speaking after the county council’s visit to Littlemore, councillor Tiago Corais said: “It’s about time that Oxfordshire County Council listens to Littlemore.

“Thank you to all the residents who came out to speak directly with councillor Andrew Gant about the hardship that the Oxford Road closure has been causing to our community.

“I will keep working with residents to push for a smart traffic solution in Littlemore.”

 “The county council have now gone away to do a full analysis of the traffic and find practical solutions.

“And they have committed to coming back to Littlemore to work with us and come up with a long-term plan.”

Councillor Corais is putting together his own proposal for dealing with the traffic situation, which includes introducing a temporary one-way system on the road allowing access to the ring road for 9am.

He is asking Littlemore residents to get in touch with him with their experiences and suggestions.

But councillor Henwood said the county council had been “inflexible” by refusing to reopen the Crowell Road Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN), and that this was making the situation worse.

A county council spokesperson said: "We appreciate that the situation at this site is difficult, but we are confident that current measures are appropriate to provide mitigation.

"Data suggests that the increase in traffic has been relatively minor, but we will continue to monitor the impact of traffic over the remainder of the roadworks."

The county council has previously said they would only reopen LTNs in certain circumstances, such as if an entire community is cut off from the wider road network completely.

The alternative route for traffic during the closure is via Sandford Road, Henley Road, A4074 and A4142 Eastern Bypass Road and vice versa.

Oxfordshire County Council was contacted for comment.