MALDON district may not be keeping pace with the national rollout of electric vehicle charging points, figures reveal.

The Department for Transport data showed there were 242 electric vehicles licensed to addresses in the district at the end of September 2020 – up from 174 in September 2019.

However, according to the same Government department, there were only five public charging points in Maldon at the start of January.

That is a rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people, much lower than the UK average of 31.

Since October 2019 – when figures began at a local authority level – the district has seen two devices added to its supply.

A council spokesman said: “Maldon District Council is working with its partners at Essex County Council and has contributed to their emerging draft EV Charging Strategy.

“Funding sources are being explored to ensure that Maldon District residents, businesses and visitors, without private access to EV Charging, have access to sufficient public charging points as demand grows.”

In Essex, there are more than 5,800 electric vehicles on the roads, so provisions to keep them fuelled up is necessary.

The Government acknowledged the "uneven" distribution of devices across the UK in a report accompanying the latest figures, which were produced from the platform Zap-Map covering 95 per cent of publicly accessible charging-points.

In a bid to further boost numbers, transport minister Grant Shapps announced an extra £20 million was to be made available for local authorities.

Mr Shapps said the funds for local authorities will see the doubling of 4,000 on-street electric vehicle charging points already funded by the Government.

He said: "With a world-leading charging network, we're making it easier for people to switch to electric vehicles, creating healthier neighbourhoods and cleaning up our air as we build back greener."