Epsom and St Helier NHS offers free electric car charging

Electric car charge points will be at three hospitals

Hospitals in Surrey and south London are to offer free charging for electric cars as part of a scheme being set up by Transport for London (TfL).

Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust said Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals were among the first hospitals to sign up to the scheme.

From 16 April, patients and visitors will be able to charge electric or dual-fuel cars for free at the sites.

TfL is installing the equipment and the NHS is paying for the electricity.

A spokesman for the NHS trust said: "We don't know how much it will cost but it is not expected to be a significant sum.

"We have never done anything like this before but envisaged it would be well worth taking part in."

He said joining the scheme demonstrated the trust's commitment to encouraging people to use greener forms of transport and being as environmentally-friendly as possible.

The NHS trust already turns its food waste into compost and provides recycling facilities for glass, cans and plastic bottles.

Drivers will be issued with an electronic ID card to access the charge points.

St Helier and Epsom hospitals will have two charging points, Sutton hospital will have one.

Each charging unit can charge two vehicles simultaneously.