New electric car charging points for Brighton drivers

There are 22 registered users of electric cars in Brighton and Hove.

The number of on-street charging points for Brighton and Hove's 22 registered electric car users has been doubled.

Two new charging stations have been installed on Madeira Drive and two at Withdean.

Owners from across the UK can register to use the points with electricity and parking will be free for up to three hours.

A European scheme which promotes sustainable transport has helped fund the new vehicle charging stations.

Brighton and Hove Council was awarded £2.2 million for small-scale transport projects by the Civitas initiative.

'Part of the jigsaw'

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party's leader and MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: "We have particular issues in Brighton as there are very few homes with garages and off-street parking.

"We know from research that most people prefer to charge up their vehicles at home, so that is more difficult in densely populated places like Brighton.

"Electric cars are just one part of the jigsaw if we are to have sustainable transport."

The Department for Transport estimates that there are about 2,000 battery powered cars in the UK and about 2,500 recharging points.

Each car has a range of just over 100 miles, and the the government is setting up a database of charging points to help motorists plan their journeys.