His friends call him Mr Grit and it’s easy to see why.

While most of us are content to work an eight-hour shift and go home, 61-year-old Paul Dyson is out in the worst of weathers ploughing through 16-hour marathon shifts.

For he and his gritting team are in the front line aiming to make sure schools, roads, banks and industrial parks are free from ice this winter.

And he has a Sir Galahad charm too, always happy to come to the rescue of drivers whose cars skid off the road and end up in a ditch.

He occasionally gets flagged down by the emergency services too when they need his pulling power.

Full of Yorkshire grit - Paul Dyson

The owner of Gritting Direct, who often works through the night, says: “It’s a busy time for us but we make sure all our areas across West and South Yorkshire are gritted to a satisfactory standard.

“If salt is carelessly sprayed, users of that area are still vulnerable to accidents and unfortunately this happens more than it should.”

Paul and his team work around the clock to ensure his clients won’t be put in danger this winter and says they are always preparing for the cold weather, even in the summer.

The former DJ and general entertainer for 30 years, who lives in Skelmanthorpe, added: “It’s an all year round operation. We have to maintain the wagons just like you have to service a car.

Paul's cutting edge operation - his fleet of trucks

“Even when it’s hot we are still thinking about the cold weather.

“I love my work and I’ve no intention of giving up any time soon and gritting is something that will always be required. I once worked 107 hours in a week, that was last month. We’ve got through 100 tonnes of grit since the cold spell started.”

Paul’s biggest fan is his daughter, 18-year-old Melissa Roberts, who said: “I’m very proud of him. He just works ridiculous hours and has always been a hard worker.

“He is always thinking about his gritting!”