Drivers in Oswestry and Whitchurch will be among the first in the county to benefit from a pioneering on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging scheme launching next month.

Shropshire Council is supporting the switch-on of 24 new on-street Connected Kerb EV chargers as part of the Agile Streets project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Shropshire is one of just four areas taking part in Agile Streets nationwide, the others being East Lothian, Glasgow and Hackney.

Adrian Cooper, Shropshire Council's climate change task force leader, said: "We have seen the growing interest in electric vehicle technology, as witnessed at our recent electric vehicle event in Shrewsbury.

"There is a great deal of interest from motorists in our county and we are delighted to be taking part in the Agile Streets project and opening up cost-effective charging opportunities to motorists who may not be able to access the best tariffs to charge their vehicles at home.

"Providing equal access to affordable electric vehicle charging across the country is a key part of our plan to become carbon net-neutral by 2030 and assist in the ambition for Shropshire as a whole to become carbon net-neutral in the same year."

The Shropshire charging points can be found at Oak Street Car Park, Oswestry and in Brownlow Street, Whitchurch. There are six in each location.

The Agile Streets project intends to demonstrate the use of a smart metering system as a new business model to manage public EV charging sustainably and offering EV drivers a flexible charging schedule, normally reserved for those with home charging.

The project will run from December 2021 until May 2022, giving hundreds of local drivers the opportunity to benefit.

Once the trial is over, the 24 chargers will be handed over to Shropshire Council.