Electric car owners could encounter difficulties in rural parts of East Lancs, such as the Forest of Bowland, because of a lack of charging points and mobile phone signals, it is feared.

Councillors in the Ribble Valley heard there are electric vehicle (EV) charging points at Railway View and Chester Avenue car parks in Clitheroe. 

And a firm has been appointed to establish what types of points, if any, can be accommodated in other car parks at Sabden, Ribchester, Barclay Road, Longridge, Dunsop Bridge, Slaidburn and Chipping.

But a community services committee report said the primary issue will be the electrical supply available.

Labour's Cllr Lee Jameson, who is also on Longridge Town Council, said: “What is the issue? This keeps getting brought-up at town council meetings and it would be nice to get regular updates on this.”

Council officer Mark Beveridge said: “The council now has a budget. The principal thing is the power supply. Access is critical. In one area, the cost of digging a tunnel was £100,000.

"In some areas, connections are simpler than others. We are working with a company, seeing what other councils have done and having talks with E.ON. A report will come back to this committee with financial implications. ”

Tory committee chairman Cllr Richard Newmark said: “I thought Mardale was going to be included also as one potential site for EV?”

Fellow Conservative Rosie Elms added: “I’m curious about how people are going to pay for EV charging? In some areas we have got no mobile phone signal.”

Mr Beveridge said: “Charging with a mobile phone app is quite easy in Clitheroe. However in Slaidburn, for example, we cannot link car park pay-and-display to mobiles because we cannot get a signal. However, mobile phone companies say they are going to improve rural signals.”

Questions were raised over whether the Slaidburn and Dunsop Bridge locations would therefore be examined but Mr Beveridge said all sites were being looked at, based on circumstances.

Councillors were told officers were only asked to look at car parks.  But  talks had been held with the county council about on-street parking and facilities, such as in York Street, Clitheroe.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Simon O’Rourke said there was uncertainty about electric and hybrid cars: "Some visitors say they bypass Clitheroe to go to Skipton. They did not know Clitheroe had charging points.

"Some think there’s a law about a £100 fine for people who run out of charge? It needs clarification.”

Borough chief exec Marshal Scott said if a hybrid car was judged to be fully charged, it should move on.

The meeting heard Lancashire County Council resists road signs for charging points. But many drivers had apps to locate points.

Ribble Valley Council only charges fees for car park spaces. It does not get any money from electric charging, Cllr Newmark said.