Located in public car parks in Salisbury, Melksham, Warminster, Trowbridge, Corsham and Chippenham, the units were funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and installed by Chargemaster, and each has three cables to suit the majority of plug-ins on the market.

These comprise the 44kW CHAdeMO plug (used by Nissan, Mitsubishi and Kia), 44kW Combined Charging System connector (used by Volkswagen and BMW) and a 43kW Type 2 AC connector compatible with most European vehicles, but offering rapid charging for the Renault ZOE.

Officially opening the network, Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: ‘More and more people are switching to plug-in vehicles, with more than 5,000 sold in the last three months. We need the right infrastructure to keep building that momentum. Providing charge points like these means people can be confident that they can charge their car when they are out and about.’

The units will be included in the POLAR network, allowing drivers access via the app or membership card, and support Wiltshire Council's ongoing carbon management strategy, which has included a fleet of 13 electric pool cars to cut grey fleet mileage.