Fleetwood Vac and Meryl Sweep start work at London Heathrow

The fun story of the week comes from London’s Heathrow Airport, which has revealed that Fleetwood Vac, Meryl Sweep, Scrubrina Carpenter and Cleany McClean Face are among the newly chosen names of its cleaning robots.

The UK hub opted for the names for its new ‘cobots’ after receiving thousands of suggestions from the general public, with puns and pop-culture references making the final cut.

Other names include Boeing 7 Floor 7, Air Floorce One, R2-T2, Lightning McClean, RoboMop, Obi-Wan Cleanobi, Moptimus Prime and Doctor Who-ver.

The 24 newly named cobots have landed across all terminals, complete with personalised name tags, and passengers travelling this Easter weekend are encouraged to spot their favourites as they glide through the airport.

Each autonomous robot can clean up to 4,800 square metres per day using advanced mapping technology and water‑recycling systems, operating for up to three hours before heading back to recharge.

Heathrow’s director of airport journeys, Daniel Edwards, said: “With the reveal of our cleaning robots’ new names, we are proud to see classic British humour shine through.

“We look forward to seeing the nation’s creativity bring smiles to passengers from all over the world, particularly as we approach the peak travel season.”

The cobots were introduced to Heathrow in partnership with facilities management company Mitie and represent the UK’s largest fleet of autonomous cleaning robots.

Mitie has delivered cleaning services across Heathrow’s terminals since 2022, with 850 cleaning and hygiene specialists working across the airport, supported by Mitie’s innovative cleaning technology.