Brent Council has launched a trial to make charging electric vehicles at home safer and easier for residents without driveways.

Thanks to a £169,000 grant from the Department for Transport, the council will trial slim channels embedded into the pavement that allow residents to run a charging cable from their home to their car without creating trip hazards or street clutter.

When not in use, the channel will sit level with the pavement.

Those taking part in the trial, will have a gulley installed in the pavement outside their home. They will be expect to manage their own home charging units.

Further information will be publish in the coming weeks, including details on the costs, eligibility criteria and how to sign up to the trial.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Public Realm & Enforcement, said: “This is a simple, smart solution that could make it so much easier for people to go green and improve our air quality locally. We know lots of households have wanted to switch to an electric car but felt stuck because they don’t have a driveway, and home charging is usually the cheapest option. We’re hopeful this trial can solve that problem, while at the same time keeping our pavements safe and accessible for everyone.”

Local resident Duncan McAusland said: "At last, having had the government actually put out grants to help councils like Brent, we have now had the money come in, and hopefully we will be trialling it very shortly."