Plan for major vehicle charging hub and battery complex in Carlisle

The battery complex, shown here in an animation, is due to be completed by late 2019

A multi million-pound electric charging hub for up to 100 vehicles is being planned for Cumbria.

The site at Harker, near Carlisle, will be powered by a £25m battery complex that will be under construction soon.

The news comes as the government is being pressed to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2032.

The battery facility is due to be completed by October 2019, with a planning application for the charging hub expected shortly after.

The Carlisle site is the second hub announced by privately-owned Pivot Power, which plans to build a £1.6bn network of 45 large scale battery and charging sites across the UK over the next five years.

'Pioneering city'

Carlisle council has already approved the 50 megawatt (MW) battery, which will be one of the UK's biggest, storing enough electricity to supply nearly 6,000 homes for a day from a single charge.

The Harker site is close to the M6 and the company intends to submit a separate planning application for the vehicle charging hub.

The battery complex will be housed in 25 containers, surrounded by a security fence.

Pivot Power chief technical officer Michael Clarke, said: "We could not be more thrilled to announce plans for the site at Harker on the doorstep of the Lake District UNESCO World Heritage site.

"Working with the local authorities, our plans will see Carlisle become a pioneering city for low carbon vehicle adoption, ensuring that the rural areas it serves are not left lagging in the electric vehicle revolution."

The UK was among the top 10 countries for electric vehicle sales in 2017, and has about 14,500 public charging points.

However, a report by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee said the country was far from electric vehicle-ready.