CCTV cameras will be installed at roadworks across Hampshire to catch dangerous drivers, who put the lives of workers at risk the Daily Echo can reveal.

The crackdown, which is launched today, comes as one company said that more than 200 of its staff had been injured in the past year alone.

Motorists who don’t slow down, drive recklessly through roadworks or threaten workers because they are upset their journey has been disrupted could now be caught on camera and be taken to court under the campaign, which is backed by the police and Hampshire County Council.

Highways firm Amey, which carries out roadworks across the county, is behind the action.

Its bosses say it is unacceptable for drivers to put its employees’ lives at risk through careless driving, pointing to an average of 20 incident reports that are made every week.

One operative who knows the dangers is Ritchie Barns, from Southampton, who has worked on the roads for 30 years.

He said: “One of my friends was actually working inside the roadworks on a traffic island, which you would feel was a safe place to be, but a driver went straight through the works and ran over him. He went over the car bonnet and had to be hospitalised.

“Luckily he didn’t have any permanent damage but it happens a lot. I’ve seen a woman drive straight past the stop/go sign into the roadworks and just weaving her way through and van drivers have clipped the sign. If we weren’t alert to the situation it could end very differently.”

David Ogden, Amey Hampshire account director, said: “We know people don’t like roadworks and we do our best to minimise disruption and delays but we also need to protect our employees.

“Introducing CCTV on our sites has become necessary to do this, to ensure that every employee can return home safely to their families at the end of the day.”

Amey will be using cameras at all its roadwork sites to capture evidence of potentially criminal behaviour, which could be used in future prosecutions of drivers who break the law.

Amey operative Gavin Miles was joined by his children Jamie and Katie to help alert motorists to the dangers they can cause.

Holding the new CCTV stop sign with them he said: “Everyone who works on the roads is aware of how risky it is to be so close to live traffic every day. We regularly experience drivers ignoring traffic lights and cones or mounting pavements and grass verges to drive through or around road works.

“We work to high health and safety standards but we can’t control how people drive.

“Hopefully the campaign will help to remind drivers to drive more carefully and considerately so we all get to go home safely.”