Switch on to electric transport

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY transport has been given the green light by Oldham Council, which has unveiled new vehicle charging points across the borough.

Five town-centre points, Oldham Civic Centre, Hobson Street, Rock Street, Waterloo Street and George Street, are joined by six others out of town.

Oldham’s are the first of 250 charging points planned across Greater Manchester’s 10 authorities in the Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle (GMEV) scheme.

Deputy leader of Oldham Council, Shoab Akhtar, said: “These charging bays will enable us to be well placed when demand for electric vehicles grows. The council believes electric cars will increase in popularity over the coming years.”

The bays are operated by charging network specialists Charge Your Car. As an introductory offer, GMEV users will be able to charge their cars free. The full pricing structure will be announced in the autumn.

The Government offers grants up to £5,000 towards the cost of new plug-in cars, which are otherwise far more expensve to buy than their petrol-driven equivalents.