TWO zero-emission disinfecting machines are set to be deployed on streets in the town.

Cheshire West and Chester Council will be the first council in the country to use the new machines, which will spray disinfectant on streets in the borough.

The council’s StreetCare team will be using the dynamic duo, which are fully electric, to clean streets with high-pressure water and disinfectant during the current coronavirus pandemic.

And as well as cleaning the streets, the vehicles do not use hydraulics to operate, so are quieter, lighter, easier to operate and require less servicing.

The machines spray high pressure water through a bar at the front and can have disinfectants mixed in with the water from on-board chemical tanks.

They are also equipped with a high-pressure hand lance, so staff can wash down and disinfect street furniture and bins.

Cllr Karen Shore, deputy council leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, praised the announcement that the machines were being deployed in the borough.

She said: “These new electric street-cleansing machines will be used across the borough to spray disinfectant around our streets and town centres, removing ingrained dirt from pavement surfaces.

“They are a valuable addition to our teams as we continue to keep our streets clean during the current coronavirus pandemic.

“Using the new machines means our C02 emissions will also be reduced, and we can carry out more timely and targeted responses to street washing issues.

“We believe we are one of the first councils in the country to use this technology.”