Norfolk Broads chief welcomes use of electric boats

Broads Authority chief executive John Packman said electric boats were a "really important" step to help raise public awareness of climate change

The head of the Broads Authority has welcomed the introduction of electric day boats as part of a wider vision to help protect the environment.

Norfolk Broads boat hire company Broads Tours has launched two electric day boats as part of its fleet.

Broads Authority chief executive John Packman said it was a "really important" step to help raise public awareness of climate change.

He said, however, electric boats were only part of the bigger picture.

Mr Packman said the introduction of electric boats helped "alert the public to climate change and carbon reduction". 

"If you look at tourism, it is not only the diesel these boats are using, the biggest part is the tourists coming to and going away from the Broads and what other activity they do here.

"We need some more focus on transport, getting to Norfolk," he said.

He said the introduction of electric boats was a "real opportunity to engage the public in conversation about what they can do in their lives to reduce the amount of carbon they are using".

Eleni Papaioannou, 29, went out on the Broads on an electric boat for her birthday

Mr Packman said the electric boats would give the hire company a chance to talk to hirers about the impact of climate change

Among those keen to reduce their carbon footprint was Eleni Papaioannou, who specifically requested an electric boat when she went out on the water with her family to celebrate her birthday.

The 29-year-old, who lives in Norwich, said: "Obviously it makes an impact on the environment and we hope that all of the boats will be electric in the future."

The Broads is a network of waterways in Norfolk and Suffolk

The Broads Authority recently set out its five-year strategy for the future of the Broads, called the Broads Plan, which raised the "need to address the impacts of climate change".

Actions included in the plan, released in November, included promoting understanding and protecting the landscape.

It said it was also "on track" to meet its carbon reduction target of zero emissions by 2040.