WEM is going to be among the first towns in Shropshire to benefit from new electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

Wem will benefit from almost £1million funds Shropshire Council received and the new charging points will be installed in Aston Street.

Last year a total of £902,940 was awarded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles to enable the installation of on-street charge points for local residents wishing to charge their plug-in electric vehicles.

The grant money will be used in towns expected to have the largest number of EVs on their roads and Shropshire Council cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, Councillor Ian Nellins believes it will help the environment.

He said: "It's fantastic to see the progress we are making with EV infrastructure in Shropshire.

"EVs are much better for the environment as they give off less pollution and greenhouse gases, and it's imperative that we look at more sustainable ways to get around our large and rural county."

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The new installations are expected to move Shropshire from 65th out of 375 council areas for the number of public charge points available, to 11th place.

The unitary authority is working closely with Connected Kerb to install the chargers.

Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: "Providing charging infrastructure in 'out-of-city areas', such as Shropshire, is crucial to encouraging mainstream adoption of EVs, and to the UK's wider net zero goals."

Cllr Nellins added: "It's great to see more sustainable transport becoming more and more widespread in the county.

"It's so important we have EV chargers that are accessible to everyone and not only those people with off-road parking such as driveways or garages."