Good question!
Traffic cones are usually orange with a white reflective sleeve on UK roads and construction sites.

So why are there yellow, green and blue coloured road cones and what do they mean and used for?

In a nutshell and quick answer - The health, safety and wellbeing of workers to reduce accidents and deaths.

The UK Highways Agency along with others within the industry devised a coloured traffic cone system designed to compliment traffic signage already in place so road and construction site workers can easily and quickly identify potential hazards and safety issues.

The three colours (yellow, blue and green) were standardised and a quick explanation of what each mean is outlined below.

Yellow & white traffic cones.
To indicate that no stopping is permitted, important in areas with a heavy volume or quick-moving traffic.

Blue and white traffic cones.
To indicate overhead structures and ensure that drivers of tall vehicles are aware of potential collisions.
They can also be used to indicate overhead cables & sometimes will feature a yellow band.

Green and white traffic cones.
To indicate the entrance to work sites from live carriageways.
This can help drivers identify when to slow down and check for oncoming traffic.

You'll find a large selection of UK manufactured Melba Swintex cones on our website in the traditional orange as well as the coloured variants highlighted above.
Using the correct colour cones on your construction and roadworks projects is of the uppermost importance to both the safety of the general public and site workers themselves.