'Grit Astley' - new names for St Helens gritter lorries revealed

A new fleet of Merseyside road gritters have officially been named by the public.

Earlier this month, St Helens Borough Council launched a competition asking local residents to come up with funny names for their three new gritters.

The latest additions bring the total number of road gritters to nine, keeping the borough's roads safe from sleet, frost and snow throughout winter.

The council received a number of great name suggestions and the winners were awarded a 3-month GoActive membership or vouchers to Willowbees.

Among the winners were seven-year-old George and three-year-old Oscar, who have named one of the new gritters, 'Jonny Snowmax'.

Stephen Bennett paid tribute to Rick Astley with the iconic name of 'Grit Astley, Never Gonna Slip You Up' and Sophie and Jack also won with the name, 'Sleetwood Mac'.

The new gritters have been out in full force this week, as the Merseyside region faces sub-zero temperatures and overnight frost.