East Sussex school children invited to 'Name that Gritter' and learn about keeping the County moving in winter

One of the County Council's gritters has recently been named "Blades of Glory". Now a competition has been launched to find names for the other 23 marvellous machines that help keep the roads clear of snow and ice during the winter.

Those that come up with a winning name will receive a visit from their gritter – resplendent with its new name.

Suggested names can be sent in from the whole school, from classes or from individual children. Once all the entries are in, judges will choose 23 names for the gritters and contact the winning schools to arrange a visit from their own gritter. The closing date is 14 January 2013.

Councillor Carl Maynard, Lead Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: "I'm very much looking forward to seeing the suggestions for gritter names from school children across East Sussex. The more creative they are, the better!"

Meanwhile, the County Council is ready for the possibility of severe weather over the Christmas holidays. There are 10,000 tonnes of salt in barns ready for putting down on the roads and help keep East Sussex moving. When icy conditions are forecast, the council's fleet of gritters spread salt on more than 840 miles of the top priority roads with an extra 130 miles of secondary roads salted when snow is forecast.

Find out more about how we decide which roads to grit:

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/roads/maintenance/saltingandgritting/default.htm