PROFESSOR Chris Gritty and Usain Salt will help keep Warwickshire’s roads free of ice – as they are among new gritters named by residents following a public competition.
They will be joined by Gritta Thunberg, Snowbi-Gone Kenobi and The Mighty Thaw, which were among hundreds of names suggested by entrants to Warwickshire County Council’s competition.
Two other names – Charlie Boy and Grey13 Hero – were also chosen after they stood out to council officers as being particularly poignant.
Charlie Boy is named in memory of Charlie Round, a little boy from Tamworth who sadly lost his battle with a rare form of childhood cancer in 2017. Despite facing incredible adversity, he lit the world around him with an amazing smile and outlook. The Gritter bearing this name will serve the area where Charlie and his family lived.
Grey13 Hero is named in memory of John Arthur ‘Jack’ Mitchell and was put forward by his daughter, Alison Mitchell. Jack worked for Warwickshire County Council for over 50 years, including on the gritting fleet at a time the service was carried out by shovelling the grit off the back of a truck as it went along Warwickshire’s essential routes. Grey13 was Jack’s call sign from his time working on the gritters. The gritter bearing his name will serve the area of Cubbington where Jack lived.
Warwickshire County Council’s transport and highways spokesman Coun Jeff Clarke said: “On behalf of the council I would like to offer thanks to all our residents who suggested names for our new gritters.
“One of the things to have come out of the pandemic has been a massive increase in the engagement with residents and the council on social media. This naming scheme has really benefitted; without it, we may never have heard about the stories of Charlie and Jack which would have been a shame as we were only too happy to help with a suitable tribute.
“Our gritting fleet in Warwickshire does a fantastic job keeping the network running smoothly across the winter months. The new gritters joining the fleet are a welcome addition to our efforts as a council of ensuring residents are supported by excellent transport infrastructure.
“Our new gritters have been selected based on their low emissions so that we are keeping our commitment to doing all that we can, within our business, of reducing our carbon footprint and minimise our impact on climate change.”
The Warwickshire County Council gritting fleet treats approximately 1,100 miles of carriageway over 29 different routes approximately 60 times a year, meaning the fleet travels around 66,000 miles a year – equal to three times round the planet.
The county holds around 14,000 tonnes of salt in stock across five depots at the start of winter, and in an average winter it will get through around 12,000 tonnes. Salt stocks are kept topped up in case of prolonged spells of cold and icy weather.
Visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roads-transport for more information about transport and highways in Warwickshire.
