From Gritney Spears to Basil Salty and from Spreaddie Mercury to Lewice Hamilton, it has become something of a tradition to give gritting trucks pun-filled names.

And there could be ample opportunities for new names to be dreamed up for vehicles in Norfolk - because Norfolk County Council is to spend £3.2m to buy 27 new gritters.

The council currently has 62 winter vehicles, including a number of spare ones at each depot in case of breakdown.

But the fleet is growing older and the Conservative-controlled council is having to replace them.

£1.3m was spent on 14 new gritting vehicles which were used for the first time this winter season.

And County Hall has revealed it will be spending £3.2m more to purchase a further 27, which will arrive through the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.

Councillors will discuss gritting - and the council's winter service policy - when members of the authority's infrastructure and development committee meet next week.

The county's gritting operation is delivered from seven strategically located salt domes
across the county, which can store 15,000 tonnes of salt.

Eastern Daily Press: One of the Norfolk stores where salt used to grit roads is kept. Pic: Ian BurtOne of the Norfolk stores where salt used to grit roads is kept. Pic: Ian Burt (Image: Ian Burt)

There is also a 5,000-tonne reserve within a strategic salt store at Swaffham.

The salt is used to treat 49 routes in Norfolk’s priority network, which includes the main A and B roads, as well as a number of local access C and unclassified roads.

READ MORE: Joy for Jacob after winning right to name new gritter

The county council does not grit the A47 or A11, which are the responsibility of Highways England.

Over the past six years - from 2016/17 to 2021/22 - the average cost for
delivering the winter service has been around £3.2m each year.

And the council has been using new technology to cut the cost. It has installed heat sensors on some of the county's roads to help determine if gritters need to go out.

Norfolk gritter names

Here are some of the Norfolk gritter names:

Gritter me Timbers
Gritty Mcgritter Face
The Grittenator
Blitzen Blaster
True Grit
Chittygrittybangbang
Snowy
Icemelter
Winter Warrior
Grinch the Gritter
Lewice Hamilton
Grittersaurus