Your chance to help name Shropshire Council’s gritters

People across Shropshire are being asked to help name the county’s gritters before they hit the roads this winter.

Shropshire Council and Kier – partners in the Shropshire Highways alliance – have 25 gritters in their fleet, but none of them currently have names. Now a competition has been launched to put that right.

Suggestions can be made via the Shropshire Council twitter (@shropcouncil) or Shropshire Highways twitter (@shropshireroads), on Shropshire Council’s Facebook (shropshirecouncil), or by sending an email to gritters@shropshire.gov.uk.

People of all ages can enter, and schools are being encouraged to invite their pupils to put forward their ideas and then submit entries on behalf of the school.

The closing date for entries is 5pm on Thursday 18 October.

All suggestions will be shortlisted by a ‘panel of experts’ and the best/most popular names will go through to a public vote on the Shropshire Council website in late October, when people will be able to choose their favourites.

The winning names will then be bestowed upon the gritting lorries in time for winter.

Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

“We’re not the first council to do this but every time another council names their gritters we’re asked: ‘so, will you be naming yours?’. Well the good news is, now we are, and now’s your chance to let us have your suggestions. All we ask is keep them clean and be original… it’s unlikely that Gritty McGritface will get past our panel!

“Of course, this is also an opportunity to remind people about the important work that our gritters and gritter drivers do. Keeping Shropshire moving during a cold snap in winter is a full-time job and, when the cold weather hits there is a dedicated team of people and vehicles working, often unnoticed and often through the night and around the clock, to help keep the county’s roads open.”

The 25 gritters, plus five reserve vehicles, are located at the council’s five highways depots.

These are supported by nine footway ploughs, nine snow blowers and a team of contractors and farmers with snow clearing equipment.

WSP are also partners in the Shropshire Highways alliance.

For more information about how we maintain and grit Shropshire’s roads, click here to see our blog and video.