SWORN at, "grabbed by the throat" and even hit by a car.

This is just some of the physical and verbal abuse endured by volunteer marshals at the ABP Southampton Marathon on Sunday.

A group of volunteers has told the Daily Echo about the barrage of abuse they suffered as a result of road closures to ensure the safety of runners taking part in the event.

Hayley Lonergan, 40, was part of the team manning the Cobden bridge to Portswood route, when they were met with both physical and verbal abuse for "the majority of the time".

Her team were all volunteering on behalf of Southampton Children's Hospital charity and said the abuse they suffered was unacceptable.

One man was even "grabbed by the throat".

Hayley said: "There were far, far too many people who were so angry.

"Cars were refusing to listen. A friend on Belmont Road was stood with his wife and he was verbally abused.

"One of my team was grabbed by the throat by a white van driver, some of the team on Thomas Lewis Way were verbally abused.

"I was stood by a slip road and cars kept trying to drive along the pavement.

"There was one car who was trying to drive along the pavement and I went over to try stop him.

"I was going to put my hand on his bonnet to say 'no, you can't do that' and he just sped up.

"I ended up in a massive heap on the floor."

Now, the volunteers are calling for more police presence at the next marathon.

Hayley added: "There were constant barrages of rudeness, it was just the anger.

"We wanted to give back but but we spent the majority of the day just calming people down.

"I know how important marshals are, but I don't think I would want to marshal something on main roads again.

"I wouldn't want to put people off volunteering but I think next time they need some police presence because they just wouldn't listen to us."

A spokesperson from the ABP Southampton Marathon said that the safety of marshals, runners and all those involved in the event is a "top priority" and that the incident is being taken "very seriously".

They confirmed that the organisation will be upping police presence next year to help keep volunteers safe.

They added: "We understand that road closures can cause disruption but physical abuse is unacceptable.

"As the event organisers we provide more than three weeks notice to local residents through hand delivering over 8,000 letters to residents in and around the race routes and there have been advance warning signs in place for two weeks to help residents make alternative arrangements for the few hours of the duration of the road closures.

"Although this is an isolated incident, we don’t want to dampen the spirits of all those who have worked hard and volunteered their time to help encourage the runners around the routes.

"To help our volunteers stay safe during the event, we will be upping our police presence for next year’s race."