THE installation of four new charging points at a town's supermarket has been welcomed.

Four charging bays for electric vehicles are now in place at Booths in Ulverston.

It means there are now four separate electric charging stations in Ulverston, with the other three at St Mary’s Catholic church, at the Premier Inn car park at North Lonsdale Terrace and at Brewery Street car park.

The new charging points were welcomed by community leaders in the town, who praised Booths for its climate-friendly approach.

Mayor of Ulverston Dave Webster said: “I want to congratulate Booths on this.

“I think it is fantastic that we now have seven spaces to charge electric cars in Ulverston.

“It is a real step forward and it is a great thing for the town.

“It is really important that we look forward to the future now and I am very thankful to Booths for doing this.”

Mark Wilson, Councillor for Ulverston East, also welcomed the installation.

He said: “Increasingly we are looking towards more and more people going away from diesel and electric cars.

“Car companies now are also stopping production of these cars.

“It is a fantastic thing that Ulverston is at the forefront of technology like this.”

At the end of last year Lake District National Park chief executive Richard Leafe said the number of charging points within the park's boundaries would double from 30 to 60.

The authority hopes to roll out more initiatives as part of its 10-year-old Low Carbon Lake District project, which aims to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

While the number of charging spaces grows elsewhere in Furness and the Lake District, the number in Barrow remains at zero.

Dave Pidduck, the leader of Barrow Borough Council and spokesman for economic development, said the issue had been discussed at district meetings and that it was “a concern” the town had no charge points.

A spokesman for Booths said the supermarket was responding to increased numbers of shoppers using electric vehicles and was part of the company’s drive to be a 'more sustainable retailer'. Chargers are planned for 26 of its stores.