Road worker assaulted and pushed into ditch while clearing trees after Storm Amy

Police are hunting for a man with a French or Italian accent after a road worker was assaulted while clearing trees in Fort William following Storm Amy.

The man was operating a chainsaw whilst working on the A82 in the Glen Goy area around 12pm on Saturday when he was approached by a driver who assaulted and pushed him into a ditch.

The suspect was driving a grey Renault van, possibly a Trafic model, with a left-hand drive and a foreign number plate bearing the numbers 7532.

He is described as white, mid-40s to 50 years old, and 5ft 9 in height. He had a medium build with grey facial hair and was wearing a blue beanie hat, a black Rab waterproof jacket, and blue jeans.

The worker was not seriously injured.

Inspector Katy Duncan said: “Fortunately, the victim was not seriously injured, however, the fact he was attacked whilst operating a chainsaw is outrageous and so dangerous.

“The worker was doing his job in challenging weather conditions to ensure the road network was reopened, and it is completely unacceptable that he was subjected to this behaviour.

“Witnesses who were in the area at the time are asked to check their dashcam footage in case the vehicle has been captured.

“Information can be passed to the police on 101, quoting incident number 1541 of Saturday, October 4, 2025. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or Contact Us on Police Scotland’s website.”