The council published a statement yesterday thanking residents for their participation in the competition, which included many nods to Gateshead’s ‘local legends and landmarks’.

Cllr John McElroy, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, emphasised the council’s delight in seeing members of the community propose names with a local connection.

Among the 13 winning names are Ctrl+Salt+Delete, David Olu-snow-ga, Antony Stormley, and Gritshead Millennium Fridge.

Cllr McElroy said: Our gritters and the team are out and about throughout the winter months working incredibly hard to help keep our roads safe.

‘They often work throughout the night so people don't see them as regularly as some of our other services, hopefully having these names will encourage people to look out for their favourite name and raise awareness of our winter maintenance team.’

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