9th December 2025
Radiospread, Alfred the Grit, Sir Winston Chur-chill, Agatha Gritstie, Inspector Norse, Prof Stephen Thawking and Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster among those chosen
Oxfordshire leaders, writers, scientists, musicians, locations and sports stars have helped inspire some pun-tastic names for the county’s fleet of gritters.
Earlier this year, Oxfordshire County Council and its highways maintenance contractor M Group announced a competition to name the 30 gritting lorries that ensure that the county’s roads keep moving and stay safe when the cold weather hits. Nearly 1,500 suggestions were received.
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.
People would be right to suspect that Wallingford’s queen of the whodunnits Agatha Gritstie was a popular choice, while Oxford’s most famous fictional detective Endeavour Morse has been immortalised as Inspector Norse. The late actor who played him, the appropriately named John Thaw, was also chosen.
There will be no surprises that local rock legends Radiohead – fresh from their sell-out comeback tour – had a vehicle, Radiospread, named after them.
Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster, who broke the four minute mile barrier at Oxford’s Iffley Road running track in 1954, was a worthy recipient, along with the late footballer Joey Beauchamp – regarded by many as the greatest player in Oxford United’s history. Snowy Beauchamp was chosen to honour him.
Groundbreaking Oxford-born cosmologist Professor Stephen Thawking and Snowdo Baggins – named after Frodo Baggins, a character in Oxford don JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit – made the grade.
Oxfordshire landmarks Shotover Hill and the Wittenham Clumps – aka Shotover Chill and Grittenham Clumps – were also among the successful public suggestions.
The process followed the appeal in October, which put an emphasis on names with local significance, inspired by Oxfordshire’s rich history and cultural importance.
A shortlist was compiled from the 1,480 suggestions received, with the gritter drivers themselves choosing the winners.
Listeners to the BBC Radio Oxford Breakfast Show took part as well, coming up with three of the names.
Pupils from the schools closest to the council’s depots where the gritters and salt barns are based – Woodcote Primary, Deddington CE Primary and Drayton Community Primary – also chose three names each. The children will get the chance to meet their gritters later this winter.
Two vehicles were named in tribute to gritter drivers and supervisors who died recently, while Blizzard of Ozz was a nod to Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away earlier this year. While not local, the cover of their debut album was photographed on the Mapledurham estate in Oxfordshire.
The names in full
- Bossy
- Monster Rich
- Snow-bi Wan Kenobi
- Robin the Great
- Duck, Duck, Grit
- Draytonator!
- Did You Just In-Salt Me?
- Great Gritain
- Hansel and Gritel
- Gritasaurus
- Ready, Spready, Go
- Elvis Spreadley
- Inspector Norse
- Agatha Gritstie
- Snowy Beauchamp
- Gritty Gritty Bang Bang
- Sir Winston Chur-chill
- Shotover Chill
- Snowdo Baggins
- Radiospread
- Professor Stephen Thawking
- Claudia Sprinkleman
- Blenheim Pal-ice
- Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster
- Grittenham Clumps
- Grittmeister 5000
- Alfred the Grit
- Spready Mercury
- John Thaw
- Blizzard of Ozz.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in helping us name these gritters. It’s been great fun and Oxfordshire’s residents have come up with some wonderful ideas.
“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.”
The fleet of gritting vehicles consist of 15 26 tonne trucks, 12 18 tonne vehicles, two 7.5 tonne trucks and one 3.5 tonne ‘baby gritter’, to treat very narrow roads and the park and rides. In total, 30 vehicles are stationed at three winter depots across the county, ready for when the temperatures drop.
Every time the temperature drops below freezing, the gritters hit the highways to spread salt and make our motorists safer. They’ve already been out several times this winter.
Richard Lovewell, M Group Business Director, said: “Naming our new gritters has been a lot of fun but does bring into focus the hard work that goes into ensuring that Oxfordshire is ‘winter ready’, and highlights the huge effort required, throughout the winter period, to keep our roads as safe as possible.
“Our drivers enjoyed voting on the names that the public suggested and we hope you recognise a few names as the fleet heads out across Oxfordshire over the next few months.”
The fleet of gritting vehicles consist of 15 26 tonne trucks, 12 18 tonne vehicles, two 7.5 tonne trucks and one 3.5 tonne ‘baby gritter’, to treat very narrow roads and the park and rides. In total, 30 vehicles are stationed at three winter depots across the county, ready for when the temperatures drop.
People will soon be able to trace the newly named gritters’ journeys on cold winter nights through the online gritter tracker.
The three covered salt barns in Woodcote, Deddington and Drayton, near Abingdon, keep around 10,000 tonnes of road salt dry and in optimum condition for use by 54 specialist gritter drivers.
The council salts approximately 42 per cent of Oxfordshire’s road network, one of the highest rates in the country.
While Oxford City Council looks after the gritting inside the Oxford ring road, Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for the rest of the county – including all A roads, B roads and some C roads, apart from the M40, A43 and A34, which are covered by National Highways.
Oxfordshire’s gritter drivers treat 27 routes across the county in each gritting session, covering over 3,500km in total, of which 1,960km (1,200 miles) are salted – the equivalent of travelling from London to Iceland.
