Safety action after closed road signs ignored

Traffic wardens and police officers are increasing patrols at roadwork sites as part of a safety project.

The States of Guernsey said Operation Columbia, running throughout April, was to highlight the dangers of ignoring road closure signs on the island.

People ignoring closure signs, moving barriers, bypassing diversions and attempting to squeeze past workers nearly caused serious collisions, the States said.

It added officers would go out, particularly round peak travel times, to deter unsafe behaviour with tickets being issued where necessary.

Chris Dragun, traffic management officer for Traffic and Highways, said temporary signs were not optional and helped contractors at roadwork sites.

"Despite repeated appeals, a small group of people continue to ignore the signs," Dragun said.

Sgt Andy Smith, from the roads policing unit, added officers had seen a number of people taking "unnecessary risks" by entering closed roads because they thought they could "just get through".

Smith added: "That isn't a justification and has in the past led to a number of close calls with contractors carrying out the roadworks.

"If you genuinely need access to a property within a closure, please proceed slowly and follow any directions from site staff. They're there to keep everyone safe."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.