A gritting lorry has blocked a road after overturning while heading out ahead of expected wintry weather conditions.

The crash happened on the A382 near Moretonhampstead and Lustleigh on Dartmoor at about 15:20 GMT with a road closure set up while emergency services deal with the incident.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the driver of the lorry is believed to have sustained minor injuries and motorists have been asked to avoid the area.

Councils across Devon and Cornwall have sent gritters out to prepare roads for snow and ice which have been forecast and led to a Met Office weather warning which is active until 23:59 on Thursday.

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Sir David Attenbrrr among ice cold BCP Council gritter names


Witty, wintry names have been picked for 13 gritters set for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole roads

Sir David Attenbrrr, Ice Ice Maybe and Slip Not are among the names chosen for a council's fleet of road gritters.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council asked residents to suggest "witty, wintry and wonderful" names for its fleet of 13 gritters.

The council said it received more than 1,000 suggestions to its naming challenge - Sir David Attenbrrr is already on duty - with names currently being added to the remaining 12 vehicles.

BCP's gritter fleet looks after 780 miles (1,255 km) of roads across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole spreading a stock of about 4,000 tonnes of dry rock salt over the winter months.



David Plowie, Chr-ice-church, Gritty Gritty Bang Bang and Auntie Freeze are among the other names chosen for the fleet this year.

The council said sign offcuts that would otherwise have been sent to the skip were used to create the names for the vehicles to minimise costs.

During snow and icy conditions, a series of weather stations are used to monitor road temperatures across the BCP road networks so the gritters can target the areas affected.

Famous Oxfordshire figures inspire names for county’s fleet of gritters

Radiospread, Alfred the Grit, Sir Winston Chur-chill, Agatha Gritstie, Inspector Norse, Prof Stephen Thawking and Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster among those chosen

Oxfordshire leaders, writers, scientists, musicians, locations and sports stars have helped inspire some pun-tastic names for the county’s fleet of gritters.

Earlier this year, Oxfordshire County Council and its highways maintenance contractor M Group announced a competition to name the 30 gritting lorries that ensure that the county’s roads keep moving and stay safe when the cold weather hits. Nearly 1,500 suggestions were received.

Wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Chur-chill and his Woodstock birthplace of Blenheim Pal-ice made the cut, along with Wantage-born King Alfred the Grit.

People would be right to suspect that Wallingford’s queen of the whodunnits Agatha Gritstie was a popular choice, while Oxford’s most famous fictional detective Endeavour Morse has been immortalised as Inspector Norse. The late actor who played him, the appropriately named John Thaw, was also chosen.

There will be no surprises that local rock legends Radiohead – fresh from their sell-out comeback tour – had a vehicle, Radiospread, named after them.

Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster, who broke the four minute mile barrier at Oxford’s Iffley Road running track in 1954, was a worthy recipient, along with the late footballer Joey Beauchamp – regarded by many as the greatest player in Oxford United’s history. Snowy Beauchamp was chosen to honour him.

Groundbreaking Oxford-born cosmologist Professor Stephen Thawking and Snowdo Baggins – named after Frodo Baggins, a character in Oxford don JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit – made the grade.

Oxfordshire landmarks Shotover Hill and the Wittenham Clumps – aka Shotover Chill and Grittenham Clumps – were also among the successful public suggestions.

The process followed the appeal in October, which put an emphasis on names with local significance, inspired by Oxfordshire’s rich history and cultural importance.

A shortlist was compiled from the 1,480 suggestions received, with the gritter drivers themselves choosing the winners.

Listeners to the BBC Radio Oxford Breakfast Show took part as well, coming up with three of the names.

Pupils from the schools closest to the council’s depots where the gritters and salt barns are based – Woodcote Primary, Deddington CE Primary and Drayton Community Primary – also chose three names each. The children will get the chance to meet their gritters later this winter.

Two vehicles were named in tribute to gritter drivers and supervisors who died recently, while Blizzard of Ozz was a nod to Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away earlier this year. While not local, the cover of their debut album was photographed on the Mapledurham estate in Oxfordshire.

The names in full

    Bossy
    Monster Rich
    Snow-bi Wan Kenobi
    Robin the Great
    Duck, Duck, Grit
    Draytonator!
    Did You Just In-Salt Me?
    Great Gritain
    Hansel and Gritel
    Gritasaurus
    Ready, Spready, Go
    Elvis Spreadley
    Inspector Norse
    Agatha Gritstie
    Snowy Beauchamp
    Gritty Gritty Bang Bang
    Sir Winston Chur-chill
    Shotover Chill
    Snowdo Baggins
    Radiospread
    Professor Stephen Thawking
    Claudia Sprinkleman
    Blenheim Pal-ice
    Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster
    Grittenham Clumps
    Grittmeister 5000
    Alfred the Grit
    Spready Mercury
    John Thaw
    Blizzard of Ozz.

Weather warnings extended as ice and snow blanket parts of UK



Snow and ice blanketing the UK could last into the weekend and beyond as the Met Office extends weather warnings.

The most severe conditions will be seen in Scotland, where amber snow warnings came into effect from midday Friday. Yellow snow and ice warnings are in place elsewhere until Monday.

Up to 40cm (15in) of snow could hit parts of Scotland on Friday, while the Met Office predicts as much as 5cm in areas across England and Wales.

Delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, disruption on the roads and power cuts are all expected as a result of the wintry conditions, the weather service added.

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If you are affected by the rather inclement weather, and choose to stay at home rather than venturing out, you may find some idle amusement in tracking the many gritter lorries in Scotland.

No, really: they all have some rather apt names, and you can see where each of them is, realtime, at https://www.traffic.gov.scot/gritter-tracker .

Well, it kept me quiet for a few minutes. 

Trains cancelled and roads treacherous as heavy snow hits Scotland


This snow plough got stuck on a hill outside Beauly in the Highlands

Mary McCool
BBC Scotland
1 January 2026
Updated 2 January 2026

Trains have been cancelled and driving conditions have turned treacherous as heavy snow blankets several parts of northern and central Scotland.

Amber snow warnings are in force until 12:00 on Saturday in the north east, Highland, Perth and Kinross and Angus - where up to 20cm (7.9ins) of snow at low levels and blizzard conditions have been forecast.

Shetland is also covered by an amber alert for a 12-hour period until midday on Saturday.

ScotRail has been unable to run trains to or from Thurso due to heavy snow and could not provide replacement buses due to the road conditions.

Some vehicles, including campervans and a snow plough, have been getting stuck in the snow and ice.

Ferry services have also been disrupted by high winds.

A less severe yellow snow and ice warning is already in place for most areas north of Dundee, lasting until 12:00 on Monday.

Forecasters said some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel were likely, as are power cuts and disruption on the roads.

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Council shares 'gritting mythbuster' after confusion

A council has shared a "gritting mythbuster" after many motorists complained that some roads appeared to have not been prepared for snow and ice.

Liverpool City Council has been accused of failing to grit some main roads in time for the recent icy blast. However, in a statement, the authority said 372 miles (600 km) of roads had indeed been gritted over the past two days - but shared a list of reasons for some of the potential confusion.

It also posted details of common myths about gritting and how it actually works on X and said it would continue over the coming days. "Once grit salt is laid on the road, it requires the movement of traffic to help work it into the ice," the council said. "When there are low traffic levels, roads can remain icy for some time."

The council said common misbeliefs included that adding salt to the road means the ice instantly melts. It explained how gritting is only the start of the de-icing process and that traffic moving over it is needed to make help clear the snow and ice.

It said another myth was that salt on the road stops new ice forming. The council said salt lowers the freezing point of water and does help prevent ice from forming on roads when temperatures drop below 0°C. However, it loses its effectiveness at -5°C and stops working at -10°C.

Neighbouring Sefton Council had also faced accusations of not gritting but confirmed it had gritted about 290 miles (470 km) of roads across the area. A spokesman echoed the Liverpool advice and explained how gritters are deployed when the road surface temperature drops below 0°C. "We have been out gritting on a number of occasions over the weekend, including three times on Sunday, and have spread over 150 tonnes of grit. We have also been out again today," he said.

"Gritting helps prevents the formation of ice at 0°C, but doesn't prevent snow from settling on the road, and during extended periods of sub-zero temperatures and snowfall the effectiveness of the grit can be diminished. Last night some Sefton roads reached as low as minus 7°C, below the temperature at which grit works best, which is down to minus 5°C." He added that weather conditions were being monitored "24 hours a day, seven days a week" as part of its Winter Maintenance Policy.

Liverpool City Council also responded to claims some community grit bins in the city had been empty. Community grit bins are large yellow containers on public roads and footpaths which are provided to help local people keep public areas safe from ice and snow.

"There are 191 grit bins across the city, which are refilled twice over winter," it said. "If they run out of grit salt between refills, people can report it to us, and we will refill them as soon as possible. This should only be used for pavements and other public footways."

The authority said crews also grit pedestrian parts of the city centre and hand grit key footpaths.

Huddersfield gritting lorry toppled amid 'hazardous' conditions



A gritting lorry overturned on a patch of icy West Yorkshire moorland road as temperatures across the county dipped below freezing.

The distinctive vehicle came off the road and ended up on its side with its nose in a ditch in Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, earlier.

Kirklees Council confirmed the driver was not injured and the vehicle had been recovered and "returned to service".

A spokesperson added: "The incident highlights the challenging and often hazardous conditions our teams are working in to keep roads safe and accessible."

Councillor Tyler Hawkins, from the authority's Highways department, also said: "Although gritting vehicles are designed for winter conditions, severe weather, particularly black ice, can make some routes difficult to navigate. The safety of our staff and the public remain our top priority, but conditions can still be unpredictable." He urged people to take greater care on the roads as the treacherous conditions "could worsen" in the coming weeks.

There are currently a number of severe weather warnings throughout the UK ahead of Storm Goretti, which is expected to bring heavy snowfall to parts of the country, including Yorkshire.

Gritter driver's 40 years of being a 'winter hero'


Gary Lawson's bosses said he had rescued people, livestock and emergency vehicles in 40 years

Missed Christmasses and abandoned shopping are all part of the job, a man who has driven gritters for 40 years has said.

Gary Lawson, from Crook, said he had "seen it all" when working on the roads with Durham County Council since 1986, but said he went home "knowing my friends and family are safe".

The 62-year-old has been presented with an award for his dedication by gritter manufacturer Econ, who said Lawson had "never been late in 40 years of service and had rescued people, livestock and emergency vehicles in freezing temperatures".

He said: "When the weather turns, it's about getting to the yard as quickly as you can." He added "many a Christmas" had been put on hold, along with him being known for abandoning his grocery shopping to get to work.

Lawson was nominated by four of his managers to win the award on Tuesday for his "unrivalled knowledge of the vehicles and problem-solving abilities". The ceremony heard how he could "manoeuvre his gritter in ways others would never attempt".

Lawson said: "There's been many a Christmas morning when my wife, son and now grandchildren have held off opening presents until I get back from work. It's not easy, but my family is incredibly supportive of my job and understand that it's something I've just got to do."


Gary Lawson has rescued people, livestock and emergency vehicles in freezing temperatures

Lawson also recalled a call-out on April Fool's Day, with a request to go and rescue three cars on the Teesdale border. "Obviously, I thought he was joking but sure enough, 100m up, the weather changed and I ended up with a cab full of stranded drivers and passengers. Honestly, I've seen it all and sometimes, our experiences make Ice Road Truckers look like toddlers."

Econ Engineering said it wanted to celebrate "winter heroes", adding drivers had to get up in the middle of the night and had an "incredible amount of skill to handle the vehicles, often in dangerous conditions".

Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Econ, said Lawson's "kindness, commitment and dedication to his community and our industry really came across".

Gritters costing £2.3m announced amid sunny weather


Somerset Council will spend up to £2.3m on new gritters - Image © Somerset Council

Many minds in Somerset might be on the sunshine and beach - but the council has announced up to £2.3m will be spent 14 new gritter lorries.

Somerset Council currently has a fleet of 23 gritters, which are used primarily in winter to spread salt and grit on roads to melt snow and ice. Two new gritters entered service last winter, which were named Basil Salty and Gritney Spears by local schools South Somerset Partnership School and Bucklers Mead Academy in Yeovil.

Ten of the existing vehicles are reaching the end of their active service life, with much of the fleet suffering "significant deterioration" and costing the council increasing amounts of ongoing maintenance.

Jeremy Fry, the council's infrastructure and transport officer for highways operations, explained in his written report: "These assets suffer significant deterioration due to excessive abrasive corrosion resulting from the salting operations. The oldest gritters in our fleet are now experiencing significant maintenance and repair attention, and next year these will be subjected to higher maintenance rates. Furthermore, the risk to service delivery due to ageing of the fleet is a significant concern due to time off road for repairs and maintenance."

The council currently spends around £200,000 on servicing and maintaining its fleet of winter service vehicles, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Up to £2.3m has been committed to purchasing the new vehicles over the next four years as part of the council's capital programme.

The council has entered a contract with Romaquip to buy the vehicles, which includes an option to buy an additional five vehicles in the third year of the agreement, though this will require additional funding.

Mr Fry said it was not possible to simply hire in vehicles on an annual basis, stating this would put additional pressure on the council's revenue budget. It would cost the council more than £218,000 to hire out seven vehicles over the coming winter to cover for getting vehicles which are unusable or undergoing maintenance.

The council has not indicated how soon the new vehicles will enter service.