A two-year £1.3million project to install at least 25 electric vehicle charge points for public use in car parks across Devon begins this month.

These include Exeter, Barnstaple, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Honiton, Seaton, South Molton, Ilfracombe, Totnes, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Tavistock, Okehampton, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Dawlish, Teignmouth and Newton Abbott.

Charge points for two bays will be installed in the following East Devon car parks during the 2020/21 financial year:

- Imperial Road, Exmouth

- Ham, Sidmouth

- Lace Walk, Honiton

- Orchard, Seaton

Once complete the Devon Low-carbon Energy ad Transport Technology Innovator (DELETTI) programme will prevent more than 300 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere every year.

The charge points will be installed in key carparks in Devon's largest communities.

The news comes after Devon County Council (DCC) secured a grant of £817,712 from the European Regional Development Fund.

The project is being led by DCC in partnership with East Devon District Council (EDDC), North Devon District Council, South Hams District Council, Teignbridge District Council and West Devon District Council and is scheduled to be complete by December 2021.

The charge points themselves will be powered by renewable energy. These could be in the form of solar carports - solar panels mounted on frames to enable cars to park underneath and recharge is one possibility.

In July DCC announced a project to deliver 150 new charge points in Exeter through the StreetHubz project.

Devon is the fourth largest county in the UK but there is currently only 30 publicly accessible charge points in the county.

Councillor Roger Croad, responsible for environment at DCC, said: "The government has committed to banning the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040, but long before that we want more people to start using electric vehicles.

"It's been difficult to encourage more people to use electric cars until there are more charging points, and more charging points won't be provided until there are more electric cars on the road.

"This partnership with the district councils helps break that cycle. Fewer petrol and diesal cars will lead to a reduction in emissions, cleaner air and an improved quality of life for residents."