A local council has confirmed it is to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points across its district.

As part of Maidstone Borough Council's bid to be a 'business rates retention pilot' for 2019/20 - which offers 75% business rates retention - it will be installing 16 electric vehicle charging bays in prime town centre locations in off-street car parks.

The announcement reflects the need for more charging areas as revealed in the latest Department for Transport report, which showed the number of motorists using plug-in vehicles in Maidstone has increased by 45% (rising from 222 to 322), between October 2017 and September 2018.

Chair of strategic planning, sustainability and transportation committee, Cllr David Burton, said: “Improving air quality is one of the biggest challenges that we face here is Maidstone and across the whole of the UK.

"Anything to encourage the use of electric vehicles directly helps improve the air that we breathe in our streets, outside our schools and homes."

The move comes hot on the heels of a similar increase in charging points in the Canterbury district.