Mevagritty has topped the poll as Cornwall’s favourite gritter name following a competition to name the Council’s fleet of salt spreading superheroes.
After whittling down more than 2,000 suggestions from members of the public, residents were asked to choose their top 25 from a shortlist of 50.
Following more than 2,700 votes, we can reveal Cornwall’s top 25:
1 – Mevagritty
2 – Proper Job
3 – Gurt Licker the Gritter
4 – Choughed to Grits
5 – Demeltza
6 – Dreckly me ‘ansum
7 – RNAS Cold Nose
8 – The Gritterman’s Friends
9 – Sir Grit-A-Lot
10 – Shiverton Cross
11 – Spreadruth
12 – The Beast of Bodmin
13 – Gryttin Da!
14 – Salt Piran
15 – Salty Maid
16 – Salty McSaltash
17 – Daphne du Meltier
18 – Kernow bys grittin
19 – Jam First
20 – Wheal Gritty
21 – Humphreeze Davy
22 – Gritchard Trevithick
23 – Hayle Storm
24 – Crimp my ride
25 – South Frosty
Richard Williams-Pears, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said:
“Thanks to everyone who took the time to give us their Cornish-themed suggestions – we were overwhelmed by the response. Thanks also to everyone for voting!
“Cormac’s gritters treated almost 35,000 miles of roads across Cornwall between October and March this year – that’s almost one and half times around the equator. They’ve now gone for a well-earned rest and we’ll unveil the gritters and their new names once they return from their summer hibernation in the autumn.”
Managed by Cormac, Cornwall has 25 gritters, with three in reserve. It takes around three hours to treat each of the Council’s 25 salting routes which cover around 1,420 km (883 miles) of the road network and include the most heavily used A and B roads in Cornwall.
Between them, these roads carry around 80% of daily traffic. Cormac also salt the roads to key sites such as hospitals, minor injury units, ambulance and fire stations, bus and railway stations and secondary schools.
Steve Bayley, Cornwall Highway network manager said:
“It has been fun to put a smile on people’s faces during a rather wet winter, and it really captured the imagination of Cornwall’s residents. One of my personal favourites was ‘Crimp my Ride’—we couldn’t let a pasty reference go unnoticed, and we had to take some suggestions with a pinch of salt. But there’s also a serious side—bringing the public closer to the team’s work who go out day and night to keep them safe each year.”
Cornwall’s main trunk roads – the A30 to Penzance and the A38 – are the responsibility of National Highways which manages its own winter service.
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