Pun-tastic names for gritting fleet
08/12/2025
The gritter drivers chose the winners from 1,480 entries
The 30 gritting lorries which will help keep Oxfordshire’s roads safe this winter have been named, with leaders, writers, scientists, musicians, locations and sports stars inspiring pun-tastic creativity.
Wartime Prime Minister “Sir Winston Chur-chill” and his Woodstock birthplace of “Blenheim Pal-ice” made the cut, along with Wantage-born “King Alfred the Grit”.
Local rock legends Radiohead had vehicle “Radiospread” named after them. In memory of the late Oxford United footballer Joey Beauchamp, “Snowy Beauchamp” was chosen to honour him.
Some 1,480 suggestions for names were received with the gritter drivers themselves choosing the winners.
Pupils from Deddington Primary schools also chose three of the names, as the closest school to the council’s north of the county depot, where the gritters and salt barns are based. They will get the chance to meet their gritters later this winter.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “Our gritter drivers do an amazing job at the most unsociable hours and in the coldest temperatures, helping to make our roads safer. If you do find yourself behind one of them, which are restricted to 30mph when they are carrying out their work, so please be patient and considerate – they are there to keep you safe.
“And remember that while we make great efforts to keep roads clear in winter, drivers must never assume that a road will be free from ice and should adjust their driving to suit the conditions.”
This year people will be able to trace the newly named gritters’ journeys on cold winter nights through an online gritter tracker.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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