THREE gritters have officially been named after a week of intense voting from residents.

Throughout the first week of February, Veolia, Southend Council’s recycling and waste contractor, asked members of the borough to come up with a quirky name for each of the council’s three gritting vehicles.

Over 100 submissions later, the council and Veolia whittled the list down to just nine, launching three polls throughout the week on the council’s Twitter account.

Following a split decision, an additional 24 hour tie-breaker was used to determine the winners, and Southend Council have officially announced that the innovative gritters will be called Grit Me Baby One More Time, Brad Grit and Thaw Enforcement.

Carole Mulroney, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “It’s been a lot of fun to see how our residents voted in this light-hearted poll. Each winner will I’m sure bring a smile to people’s faces, even if just for a second, and that makes it all worthwhile. I would like to thank everyone who voted, particularly those who helped Brad Grit snatch the victory.

“My thanks also go out to Veolia, who have assisted with this competition and will now be printing the names on the vehicles. We know from our experience with the naming of the Skatey McSkateface skatepark that residents enjoyed being a part of the naming process, and whilst we told ourselves we wouldn’t be drawn in to holding another naming competition for a while, oops, we did it again.”

Chris Smiles, regional manager for Veolia, said: “We are delighted that so many people took part in the competition. We hope that, thanks to the public poll and the social media campaign, Southend residents know a bit more about our gritting team that is working hard to make sure our roads and pavements are safe in the morning.

“Keep an eye out on cold nights and you might spot Grit Me Baby One More Time, Brad Grit or Thaw Enforcement in the area.”