The vehicles were funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, a grant from the Department for Transport that involves zero cost to the county council.

Supplied local dealership Smiths Nissan, they replace a fleet of petrol cars which were over 10 years old, helping the council save money on refuelling and reduce its carbon footprint. The LEAF was selected due to its strong performance at a trial day last year.

Councillor Nigel North, cabinet member for environment capital and neighbourhoods, said: 'This is a win-win for the council. We can replace old inefficient petrol vehicles with new electric ones saving us money on fuel and reducing our carbon footprint. We've also been able to use Government funding to pay for them.’

Peterborough has four charging points in the city centre, which are free to use.