Somerset Council and its highways contractor, Kier, ran a competition with local schools to name two new gritters which have just joined the fleet.

Six were short-listed and West Pennard’s ‘Spready Mercury’ was one of the two winning entries decided by public votes.

Before hitting the roads, ‘Spready’ paid a visit to the school and pupils were able to take a closer look at the vehicle which will be helping keep the county’s roads safe this winter.

Headteacher, Tony Wheat, said:

It was so exciting to have Spready Mercury visit the school. The children loved it and were extremely interested in the vehicle, especially those of a farming background that were comparing it to the kit that their mums and dads use on the farm.

It was a good opportunity to teach the children about the people that help us in the community and how we can be safe at this time of year on the roads. Thanks so much to Kier and to Somerset Council for making it happen and we are so proud that a West Pennard pupil came up with such an inventive name.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste, said:

We had a great time introducing Spready Mercury to the children and it looks like the competition had really captured their imagination.

Although under pressure to get them named it was a kind of magic to hear all the imaginative ideas.

The gritting teams do a really important job keeping the roads safe at this time of year. A big thank you goes to them, all the schools for their great suggestions and everyone who took part in the voting.

The other winning name – Gritty Gritty Bang Bang – came from Brymore Academy and its pupils will be receiving a visit from a new gritter in the New Year.

Gritting is important during icy months as it helps keep roads safe and reduces weather-related disruptions, whether you’re heading to school, work, or appointments.

This year, over 900km of gritting routes are set to be treated. The Council has stockpiled over 6,400 tonnes of salt, with over 800 grit bins filled across the region.

The competition has a great opportunity for the council and its highways contractor Kier to involve the community and raise awareness about the importance of road safety during the winter months.

Allan Rigby, General Manager for Kier, said:

Our operatives work really hard to ensure the roads are gritted to make them safe for everyone in Somerset, so it has been great to raise awareness of their efforts through naming the gritter. I was delighted with the interesting and humorous entries that came in and to be able to help choose the winning names was the icing on the cake for me.

Road gritting involves spreading rock salt on roads to prevent ice and snow build up, giving car tyres better grip. With temperatures falling, gritting teams will soon be undergoing trial runs – and will grit the roads when the weather is set to fall below 0.5°C.

If you see road gritters out, then be patient and be safe. You can get updates about when we are gritting roads on @TravelSomerset on Facebook and X.

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