More than 5,000 electric charging points needed

Essex County Council said the demand for car charging points was set to increase

More than 5,000 public charging points were needed in Essex by 2030 to keep up with the demand for electric vehicles (EVs), a council warned.

Essex County Council said forecasts have shown there could be a minimum need for 6,000 charge points in six years - up from 300 currently registered in the county.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Brentwood, Castle Point and Maldon were among the areas in Essex with the fewest public charge points.

Neil Greig, of the charity IAM RoadSmart, said the provision as things stood was "not enough".

The authority also predicted, in its Essex electric vehicle charge point strategy, that 1,500 charging points would be needed by 2025.

There were 45 million electric vehicles used globally at the end of 2023

Mr Greig said people who did not have private driveways or garages needed to be supported.

"You also need the public charging points for tourists visiting the area, so the more the better," he added.

"I think it's great that Essex has put a target on this, and I think the people of Essex can rightfully hold the council to account on it."

Between 2020 and 2023, the amount of EVs on the road increased from 10 million to 45 million.

Under the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, at least 22% of vehicles sold this year must be zero-emission, with the target expected to hit 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.