Sussex Police Arrests Woman As Council Condemns Attack On Highways Worker

Stock image (c) Shutterstock - Sean Aidan-Calderbank

West Sussex County Council has condemned an attack on one of its highways officers and warned abuse of staff “must stop”.

The worker, who was staffing a road closure on the A29 Shripney Road, was assaulted on Wednesday 11 February while carrying out duties to keep the public safe and ensure only residents could access the flooded area.

Sussex Police attended the scene and arrested a 55-year-old woman on suspicion of assault. She remains in custody.

The officer suffered minor injuries, and witnesses are being urged to contact police on 101.

Council leader Paul Marshall said any abuse of staff, whether verbal or physical, is unacceptable.

He said highways teams work day and night in difficult conditions to protect residents and repair damage, revealing that since the start of February crews have cleared more than 2,000 drainage gullies and fixed over 1,500 potholes across the county.

The council also reported increasing incidents of abuse, including workers being verbally targeted and deliberately splashed by drivers.

It warned it will take action to protect staff, including removing teams from unsafe situations if necessary, which could delay repair work.

Inspector David Greenwood, of Sussex Police, said road closures are put in place for public safety and urged people to respect both the restrictions and the workers enforcing them.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Sussex Police.