YOUNGSTERS who helped name Somerset’s newest gritters got a visit from the vehicle bearing their suggested name.

Highways contractor, Kier, stopped off at West Pennard CofE Primary School to show pupils the new gritter – named Spready Mercury thanks to their suggestion.

The name was picked after a competition involving county schools to name two new gritters which have just joined the fleet.

Six were short-listed and West Pennard’s Spready Mercury was one of the two winning entries decided by public votes.

Before hitting the roads, Spready paid a visit to the school and pupils were able to take a closer look at the vehicle which will be helping keep the county’s roads safe this winter.

Headteacher, Tony Wheat, said: “It was so exciting to have Spready Mercury visit the school.

“The children loved it and were extremely interested in the vehicle, especially those of a farming background that were comparing it to the kit that their mums and dads use on the farm.

“It was a good opportunity to teach the children about the people that help us in the community and how we can be safe at this time of year on the roads.

“Thanks so much to Kier and to Somerset Council for making it happen and we are so proud that a West Pennard pupil came up with such an inventive name.”

Councillor Richard Wilkins, the council’s lead member for transport and waste, said: “We had a great time introducing Spready Mercury to the children and it looks like the competition had really captured their imagination.

“Although under pressure to get them named it was a kind of magic to hear all the imaginative ideas.

“The gritting teams do a really important job keeping the roads safe at this time of year. A big thank you goes to them, all the schools for their great suggestions and everyone who took part in the voting.”

READ MORE: Spready Mercury or Gritty Gritty Bang Bang – help name new Somerset gritters
READ MORE: Names revealed for new Somerset gritters after county-wide competition

The other winning name – Gritty Gritty Bang Bang – came from Brymore Academy and its pupils will be receiving a visit from a new gritter in the new year.

This year, more than 900km of gritting routes are set to be treated. The Council has stockpiled over 6,400 tonnes of salt, with over 800 grit bins filled across the region.

Allan Rigby, general manager for Kier, added: “Our operatives work really hard to ensure the roads are gritted to make them safe for everyone in Somerset, so it has been great to raise awareness of their efforts through naming the gritter.

“I was delighted with the interesting and humorous entries that came in and to be able to help choose the winning names was the icing on the cake for me.”

Road gritting involves spreading rock salt on roads to prevent ice and snow build up, giving car tyres better grip. Crews grit the roads in Somerset when temperatures are set to fall below 0.5C.