Driver highlights faulty chargers

THE owner of an electric car has complained about the number of charging sockets that aren't working in Oldham.

The gentleman, who wished not to be named, bought the car two years ago in order to be more environmentally friendly.

He claims that the electric-car charging points at Oldham Civic Centre have not been working for several months, and that one of the sockets at Rock Street, Oldham, also has not been working.

The gentleman said: "There is a charging point at the Civic Centre and two at Chadderton Town Hall. For the last few weeks at rock street, only one socket has been working.

"I got the electric car to keep the atmosphere clean. I used to have a hybrid car but i got this one two years ago.

"The one on George street is fine although people with petrol cars sometimes park there.

"I'm not having a go at the council, I just wanted to raise awareness."

Charging bays were launched across the region in July 2013, as part of the Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle Scheme - a new electric vehicle charging point network and pay as you go programme.

There are 22 charging points installed at ten strategic locations in Oldham. In February, which was the most recent data available, they were used nearly 250 times.

Re-charging a typical electric vehicle fully in a bay takes approximately three to four hours - up to three times faster than charging at home.

A spokesperson from Transport for Greater Manchester said: "We are aware of a problem with the charge post at Oldham Civic Centre and this is in the process of being replaced.

"We are not aware of any problems with the posts at Rock Street but will have them checked by an engineer."

A map with all current charging point locations can be found at ev.tfgm.com