The electric light commercial vehicles will be used by the local authority’s pest control, waste management, street protection and horticulture teams, who are receiving training on the safe operation of electric vehicles.

The local authority confirmed the new electric vehicles will substitute its older fleet vans ‘powered by traditional combustion engines’, accelerating the ‘carbon reduction aims’ of the council’s ‘climate action plan’.

To support the 14 new vehicles, an electricity substation and vehicle chargers have also been installed at the council’s Lake Road base.

Cllr Tom Cunningham, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Transformation, the Environment and Customer Services, said: ‘I am very pleased that we can take another step to cut emissions, after getting the full value from our older vehicles.

‘This fully electric fleet will contribute positively to local air quality, which is good news for us all, but especially so for our more physically vulnerable, oldest and youngest residents.’

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