ELECTRIC CARS have been gifted to Wokingham Borough Council, helping them achieve their carbon neutral target.

Two electric cars were donated by contractors VolkerHighways in order to show support for the council's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.

They will be used by customer service officers, who often use personal transport to reach locals, reporting on issues from potholes to pavement defects.

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The cars will significantly reduce carbon emissions created by the council, who have to drive a significant amount of miles each year.

Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said: "Replacing petrol vehicles with electric for our customer service officers as part of the highways contract is another step on our journey to be a carbon neutral borough by 2030.

"These are just the first electrical vehicles we will use in the Wokingham Highway Alliance, alongside our contractors VolkerHighways and WSP, with more in the pipeline in 2020, helping to reduce the borough’s carbon footprint and make long-term savings on fuel.

"VolkerHighways deserve the credit and our praise for this step and it should be clear that this is them taking an early lead in supporting our vital climate emergency initiative.

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"I hope to see more and more of our suppliers and contractors following suit in the coming months, finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint."

Daron Mizen, project manager for VolkerHighways, said: “I am delighted that we are introducing more electric vehicles into our fleet.

"It is necessary for us to regularly travel throughout the borough’s road network, to carry out our work and these new cars will help us to reduce our environmental impact."

Wokingham Borough Council is to hold a meeting on January 23, discussing how it aims to reach its target of carbon neutrality by 2030.