‘BLIZZARD OF OZ’ AND ‘I WANT TO BREAK FREEZE’ AMONG NEW BEAR SCOTLAND VEHICLES SET TO SPREAD GRIT THIS WINTER
A newly named fleet of BEAR Scotland gritters are primed to tackle Scotland’s infamous winter weather this year.
The roads maintenance company unveiled its latest 32-tonne eight-wheeler gritters, amongst the largest in the UK, which have been named following recent competitions with schools and radio stations across Scotland. A colouring-in competition for the public was also held during the summer lockdown months to help BEAR come up with some new names.
The winning suggestions for this year include: ‘Hansel and Grit-all’, ‘Oor Chilly’, ‘I Want to Break Freeze’, ‘Walter the Salter’ and ‘Licence to Chill’.
The unveiling of the new winter fleet comes after BEAR Scotland launched its winter service programme, which will see over 290 drivers and 77,500 tonnes of salt dedicated to keeping the trunk roads in the North East, North West and South East of Scotland safe this winter.
Members of the public will soon get their first glimpses of the new gritters as they carry out precautionary treatments to stop ice forming. This involves spreading pre-wetted salt on routes forecast to experience low temperatures.
BEAR Scotland’s latest fleet of gritters will join existing fan favourites: ‘For Your Ice Only’, ‘Sir Andy Flurry’, ‘Ready, Spready, Go’ and ‘Gritty Gritty Bang Bang’.
Iain Murray, BEAR Scotland’s Managing Director, said: “Our latest fleet of winter maintenance vehicles are ready to tackle whatever adverse weather conditions we may face. We hope that their quirky names not only help to uplift our winter campaign but humanise the work that our team are working around the clock to deliver.
“As the conditions change over the coming weeks, we remind members of the public to ensure their vehicles are well maintained and that they pay close attention to news and
social media to help plan journeys and prepare for deteriorating conditions.”
Transport Scotland’s online trunk road gritter tracker provides live tracking of gritters on the trunk road network, displaying their current location and where they have previously been.
A full list of the newly named BEAR Scotland gritters:
North West:
North East:
South East:
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