CALLS are being made to get more electric car charging points installed around Worcestershire to help save the planet.

Worcestershire County Council wants more private employers to take up the mantle in trying to boost the take-up of the eco-friendly vehicles.

It comes as plans are being finalised to place 12 of the charging points around the county in a £450,000 project.

As your Worcester News revealed last year, the Department for Transport has handed County Hall the cash to install the points at "strategic" locations by next April.

The council is now busy trying to finalise the best sites for them in the hope they prove popular.

Councillor Anthony Blagg, the cabinet member for the environment, now says he wants others to help provide more.

"Technology changes all the time, and I've no doubt when it comes to cars it will be the same," he said.

"But it's also about supply and demand - once people realise there's more of these things by the road they might say 'I have a garden centre, it makes sense to have one in my car park'.

"And if car companies see more people buying these cars, that can help too.

"We do want to see more of them made available."

Cllr Blagg, speaking during a full council meeting, was responding to a question from Labour Councillor Graham Vickery, who asked him if County Hall had "any plans to get involved in the provision of extra electric charging points".

Electric vehicles, which are slowly growing in popularity, do not require fuel and run purely on electricity.

The investment will build on the 10 electric chargers in the county, one of which is at County Hall.

All 10 take four hours to fully charge a car, but the new ones will allow it to be complete in 30 minutes.

The Department for Transport is trying to encourage better take-up of electric cars by handing local authorities extra funds to place charging points in their areas.

Councils were required to bid for the money.