Public asked to name five new Cumberland Council-owned gritters
Suggestions must be made to the council by Friday 13th November
People in Cumberland are being asked to come up with names for five new gritters joining the county's winter fleet.
Cumberland Council is running the competition again after previous naming contests. The new vehicles are due to hit the roads this winter.
How to enter
People can send in suggestions by Friday 13th November. Entries can be made through Cumberland Council's social media channels or by emailing [email protected] .
Schools are also being encouraged to take part. The winning schools will receive a visit from one of the newly named gritters.
The council will choose the winning names before the new gritters officially join the fleet later this winter.
The existing fleet
The new gritters will join a fleet that already includes Mike Zeller Ice Dispeller, La'al Salty, Ctrl SAlt Delete and Gritter Spitter.
All four names were chosen by local people in previous competitions. The council said the competition also highlights the role of its gritter drivers and highways teams.
It said they work around the clock when temperatures drop to help keep key routes safe and passable across the county. According to the council, its winter service maintains more than 1,500km of roads and treats around 42% of the county's highway network during severe weather.
It said the service is supported by approximately 16,000 tonnes of rock salt stored across the county and more than 3,600 grit bins available to communities.
Councillor Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council's Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said: "Our gritter naming competitions have become a popular part of winter in Cumberland and always bring out some fantastic suggestions from residents."
She also said: "While it's a bit of fun, it's also a great opportunity to recognise the hard work of our highways teams and gritter drivers, who work tirelessly throughout the winter to help keep our communities connected and our roads safe."
Councillor Rollo added: "We're looking forward to seeing what creative names people come up with for our five newest gritters, so get your thinking caps on and send us your suggestions."
The council has more information on winter preparedness, gritting routes and advice on staying safe during severe weather on its Weather Ready webpages.