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

3 hours ago

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

Econ Engineering Gary Lawson - a gritter driver - sits in the front cab of a yellow gritter vehicle. He is wearing a white shirt and navy tie and a blue fleece with the yellow branding 'ECON' on it. Gary has short grey hair and wears silver rimmed glasses. — 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."

Econ Engineering Gary Lawson - a gritter driver - stands in front of two yellow Mercedes gritter vehicles. He is wearing a white shirt and navy tie and a blue fleece with the yellow branding 'ECON' on it. Gary has short grey hair and wears silver rimmed glasses. He is wearing two medals on lanyards and is holding an award which has a small yellow gritter on it. He is fist-pumping the air with joy. — 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".

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