Grittin On Wae It: Scotland's named snowploughs hard at work

“Snowcially Distanced” and “Han Snow-Lo” are among the fleet of gritters out on Scotland’s snowy roads on Tuesday.

Approximately 150 vehicles have been deployed to keep the roads safe as heavy snow and minus 18C (minus 0.4F) temperatures hit the country.

Some of the newest names include Brinestone Ploughboy, CalvinHarrIce and Grittin On Wae It.

A recent appeal to name the 50-strong fleet of gritters — which cover 400 miles of roads — received more than 1,200 entries.

The appeal, which ran from December 23 to January 15, was moved online due to the pandemic.

While the naming appeal is normally run in connection with local schools, this year it was opened to the wider public.

Traffic Scotland’s gritter tracker

A number of the vehicles take their names from classic references, including “I want to break freeze” and “You’re a blizzard, Harry”.

Five pay tribute to Scottish James Bond actor, Sir Sean Connery, who died last year, including On Her Majesty’s Slippery Surface, Coldfinger and You Only Grit Ice.

Others are named after celebrities, including Sled Zepplin, Robert Brrrrns and Gritney Spears.

Bus and rail travel has been disrupted by the weather, with an amber warning in place for much of the central belt.

Transport Scotland reported temperatures down to nearly -18C at Bannockburn in Stirling.

Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Transport Scotland manager Stein Connolly said: “We had 146 gritters out last night.

“All the trunk roads are open, but there are some places where it’s just passable.

“There has been a couple of accidents – police are working to get these clear, but it’s maybe better to leave it until a safer point in the day (to travel).”