THE number of electric vehicles in Warrington could soon outnumbering the amount of charging points across the north west if current trends continue.

This is according to figures released by the Department for Transport which show that the number of plug-in vehicles in the town has more than doubled since 2015 to total 377.

There are just 522 public charging locations in the whole of the north west however, with the number of electric vehicles rising more than two and a half times as fast as the number of charging points between 2015 and 2018.

This is causing almost three quarters (72 per cent) of north west drivers to charge their vehicles in a dangerous manner, according to the consumer protection charity Electrical Safety First.

These methods include using indoor only extension leads outside and ‘daisy-chaining’ extension leads together and leaving them out in the rain.

Martyn Allen, technical director at Electrical Safety First, said: “The direct link between electric vehicle owners charging dangerously and having so few public charging locations in the north west is a real concern.

“Electrical Safety First is urging the government and local authorities to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support the rapid increase in numbers of electric vehicles on our roads.

“We warn electric car drivers against giving in to temptation to use domestic extension leads to charge their vehicles outside, and never to ‘daisy-chain’ them together.”

The charity surveyed 1,500 all-electric and hybrid vehicle owners in the UK, and about 39 per cent in the north west also said that the current accessibility of charging points is ‘not adequate at all’.

Electrical Safety First say electric vehicle users need to be well-informed on how to charge their vehicles safely and should refer to the charity’s new Glovebox Guide for more information.