HYNDBURN motorists have been given a glimpse of the future after the borough’s first charging point for electric cars went live near Accrington Town Hall.

The site in Union Street offers free and fast charging for owners of low emission vehicles, with more planned for the town centre included one at the new bus station.

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Councillor Clare Cleary, cabinet member for town centres, said: “The charge point installation is part of our green agenda and we are proud to be one of the first councils to be awarded the Energy Saving Trust’s gold standard for reducing vehicle emissions, which we’ve kept for three years.

“Over the last few years we have encouraged the use of sustainable travel to all our employees with our Cycle to Work Scheme, using five per cent bio-diesel mix in our fleet vehicles and buying two electric vehicles for the parks team.

“We know that the market for electric vehicles is growing and we want to make sure that users are able to charge up their vehicles locally.”

Nick Gaskell, who owns Gaskell Motor Bodies in Great Harwood, was part of the consulting process.

He said: “This new charging point is a good thing for Accrington and will hopefully bring people into the town.

“We have a Nissan Leaf electric car which we hire out and we are seeing more and more on the roads.

“Some of the new models can go for 150 miles on a single charge, which would take you to Birmingham.

A £26,250 government grant went towards funding the new facility, which will recharge vehicles from zero to 80 per cent in 40 minutes free of charge.

Anyone wanting to use the service must register by downloading the Polar Instant app and setting up an account.

The national campaign for ultra low emission vehicles, Go Ultra Low, says there are more than 20 low emission models available in the UK and every major manufacturer will sell them by the end of this year.

According to their website there are 12 public charging points in East Lancashire.

These include sites at the Renault dealership in Blackburn Motor Park, BP Ewood service station and Best Western Mytton Fold Hotel in Langho.