Assaults on front-line workers such as nurses, bus drivers and ticket inspectors have "rocketed" in the past two years, new research has pointed out.

Angry Britons were "lashing out" at customer-facing staff to vent their anger and frustration, a survey of 2,000 people found. A third of people aged 25 to 34 admitted losing their temper with a call-centre worker, a shop worker or a bus driver.

The hectic pace of modern life was often blamed for the violence to workers.

, with four out of five of those questioned complaining of lack of time.