The competition was jointly led by the council and civil engineering company, Marlborough Highways, which provides highways and street lighting services for the local authority, while also being responsible for road marking and traffic management work across the borough.

In a statement today, the council announced that the winners of the competition are pupils at the Hornchurch School, with four final entries being chosen ‘after much deliberation’.

Following the selection of the successful names, the council has announced that its four new gritters will be called Snowflake, Snow Blast, Snow Safe, and Snowflare.

The pupils also had the opportunity to inspect the vehicles and learn about their functions, as well being taught about the duties of the gritting crews and how they ensure road safety during wintry weather.

Cllr Barry Mugglestone, Havering’s Cabinet Member for Environment, praised the children for suggesting fantastic names for the council’s gritters and expressed his gratitude for the hard work of the gritting and road maintenance teams.

He added: ‘Across these winter months, including over Christmas, when the road temperatures dropped and there was a high risk of icy roads, [crews] have been going out regularly.

‘They have been gritting main routes around the borough, in the evening and sometimes in the early hours, to help make sure everyone, from residents to emergency services, to our waste trucks and public transport, can all get around safely.’

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