ELECTRIC car charging points will be installed across Southend within three months.

Council bosses are backing the new-age vehicles hoping it will help their bid to bag £8.3million of Government funding to further cut congestion and encourage green travelling.

Initially, four charging points will be introduced in town centre car parks, with the possibility of a fifth at Southend Airport.

Paul Mathieson, the council’s special projects manager for transportation, said: “Each point could accommodate two cars at a time and they would be able to deliver different types of charge – rapid or trickle.

“This is likely to be delivered before the end of the spring.

“Southend Airport has also shown an interest in hosting a charge point so passengers could drive to the airport, leave their car and charge it up on return.”

If Southend Council successfully bids for cash, it plans to install bike hire and drop-off points around the town, promote the c2c train line as a Southend Metro service and possibly cut the number of traffic lights in the town.

The installation of charging points will not cost the council a penny.

It hopes half the £28,000 cost will be met by EValu8, a company set up by the University of Hertfordshire and bankrolled by the Government to encourage more people to use electric cars.

The rest of the money will come from the East of England Development Agency, a Government-funded regeneration group.

Alastair Welch, Southend Airport’s managing director, was very interested in the plans.

He said: “It is unlikely most people who will drive to the airport for a week’s holiday will have an electric car, but hire companies are interested in it as it may be a good option for people who arrive at the airport and want to drive around for a couple of days.

“It may also benefit staff who are making short journeys to work and more and more airport vehicles are becoming electric as well.”