Gritney Spears to hit city's roads this winter

The pun-tastic names are being displayed on Sunderland City Council's gritters

Gritney Spears and Spready Mercury will be keeping drivers safe this winter during icy conditions.

The musically-inspired pair are among a dozen road gritters given new names by children from across Sunderland.

The winning names, which also include Sir Frost A Lot and Gritty Gritty Bang Bang, were chosen from entries submitted by primary schools as part of a city-wide competition.

Councillor Lyndsey Leonard said the "creativity and humour in the winning entries will bring a smile to people's faces when they spot the vehicles on the roads".

"More importantly, this competition has helped raise awareness among pupils about the vital role our winter maintenance programme plays in keeping Sunderland safe and moving during the colder months."

The competition also gave pupils a fact sheet and colouring in activity to help them learn more about gritters and road safety during icy weather.

The winning names were selected from those submitted by primary schools across Sunderland

Each of the gritters now displays its new identity through a vinyl on its front and magnetic plaques on each side door.

The gritters take to the roads each year between November and March and spread salt to prevent ice from forming on busy roads.

Roads are treated on a hierarchical basis, meaning main arterial roads and primary bus routes are gritted first.

The winning names are:

• Ice Ice Baby

• Ice to See You!

• Sir Frost A Lot

• It's Gritmas!

• Gritty Gritty Bang Bang

• Spready Mercury

• Gritney Spears

• The Gritter Monster

• Ready Salted

• The Mackem Melter

• Mr Plough

• Super Salted