A gritter has been given a giant Christmas jumper and hat.

Econ Engineering, which has a factory in Ripon, partnered with the Ripon Community Poppy Project, whose volunteers created the festive outfit for 'Goldie the Gritter'.

Goldie is reportedly set to embark on a 900-mile tour of the UK, visiting schools near Econ's regional depots to educate students about the role played by gritters in road safety.

Students will also be able to participate in a "festive competition" to design their own jumper for Goldie.

The gritter was built in 2019 to commemorate Econ's 50th anniversary, and has, reportedly, been taken already to various locations across the country to train gritter drivers and engage schools.

The gritter's knitted garments measure 32ft by 28ft, making the project one of Ripon Community Poppy Project's largest so far.

Thirty-five volunteers contributed a total of 4,500 hours of work towards the project over the past year, with 1,130 balls of wool used.

Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Econ, said: "At Econ, we have a long history of supporting community projects so were delighted to partner with the talented volunteers at the Ripon Community Poppy Project to spread some extra joy this Christmas.

"Our gritter vehicles and their drivers are the unsung heroes of winter, so it’s been fantastic to celebrate our mission to keep the nation’s roads safe and moving by giving Goldie the Gritter her first jumper and hat to wear ahead of our busy winter season."

Stuart Martin MBE, chairman of the Ripon Community Poppy Project, said: "Creating this jumper and hat for Goldie the Gritter has been such a joy for our volunteers.

"Since we started the Ripon Community Poppy Project in 2017, our mission has been to bring our community closer together and this project has allowed us to do just that, with our dedicated and creative volunteers spending hours crafting each stitch to bring Goldie’s jumper to life.

"It's been wonderful to see Goldie in her new outfit and we hope she brings lots of joy to the schools she visits on her tour of the UK."

The Ripon Community Project meets for a Knit and Knatter session every Monday.