Help us name Lancashire's ten new gritters

Ten of the instantly recognisable big yellow machines will be spreading salt on our roads for the first time this winter, and they need a little help to fit in with their fellow gritters – which already have unique names printed on each door.

Lancashire County Council is appealing to residents to come up with some great suggestions for the new machines by entering the Name a Gritter competition.

County Councillor Warren Goldsworthy, cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: "Lancashire was one of the first councils to start the tradition of giving names to our gritters a number of years ago.

"Our gritters are among our hardest-working vehicles, helping to keep our roads safe through the toughest winter conditions.

"We retired some of our existing vehicles at the end of last season, and with ten new gritters entering the fleet this winter we'd like people to come up with some good names for them.

"Our highways teams do an incredible job of keeping Lancashire's main routes open whatever the weather, often working throughout the night over what can be a very long winter from October to April.

"Seeing a gritter go by on a freezing night is a reassuring sight for everyone, and I'm sure that spotting the name on the door of the cab raises many smiles."

The county council is responsible for around a third of the 4,300 miles of roads in Lancashire. These 1,500 miles make up the priority gritting network, which can be treated within four hours whenever a freeze is forecast for the whole county.

Make sure you're ready for winter - stock up on salt/grit for your personal use from a range of DIY stores. It's also useful to have a snow shovel, a torch, batteries and a first aid kit handy.

You can nominate a name for one of Lancashire's nine new gritters on the county council's website at lancashire.gov.uk/name-a-gritter, by commenting in one of our Facebook posts about the competition at facebook.com/lancashirecc, or writing to Name a Gritter competition, Communications, Lancashire County Council, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston, PR1 8XJ.

We want each of Lancashire's gritters to have a unique name – please check the terms and conditions on our website for the list of names to avoid because we're already using them. The competition closes at noon on Friday 31 October 2025.