Electric charging points are set to be installed in a Mendip District Council-owned car park in Wells for the first time – encouraging drivers to switch from fossil-fuelled vehicles, to cleaner electric ones.

Some 24 charging points will be placed across seven council car parks in the district, providing 56 bays for electric vehicle charging.

They will be located in Frome, Glastonbury, Street, Wells and Shepton Mallet as the council takes steps to meet its Climate and Ecological Emergency objectives.

Work is due to begin over the summer on the installation programme by partners Franklin Energy.

Deputy leader of Mendip District Council and portfolio holder for neighbourhood services, Cllr Josh Burr, said: "We are delighted to be able to secure such a fantastic offering for the district which will hopefully aid our residents and visitors to the district in the transition to electric vehicles over the coming years.

"We recognise that Mendip District Council is one part of a much larger jigsaw of solutions across the area, however, this is a significant step forward to a more sustainable travel network in the future."

Robert Byrne, managing director at Franklin Energy, said: "We are delighted to be working with Mendip District Council in building their first charging network from the ground up.

"The availability of public charging stations is an ongoing problem, but projects like this will give local residents greater comfort and confidence in making the switch to electric vehicles."

The proposed locations are:

Cattle Market Car Park (eight bays), in Frome

Northside Car Park (10 bays) and Southside Car Park (six bays), in Street

Great Ostry Car Park (eight bays) and Cannard's Grave Road (10 bays), in Shepton Mallet