More Copeland drivers are going green, according to figures showing a surge in electric vehicle registrations.

Motorists turning their backs on petrol and diesel contributed to a 40 per cent national rise in the number of newly-registered ultra-low emission vehicles last year.

The RAC said the rise proved an 'electric revolution' was underway across the UK – but the Green Party said more needed to be done to ensure a switch to electric motoring is sustainable long-term.

Department for Transport data showed that 185 ULEVs were licensed to addresses in Copeland as of September – a 70 per cent increase from 109 a year earlier.

Of those, 26 (14 per cent) were registered to companies based in the area, while 159 were privately owned.

The year-on-year rise in ULEVs, which incorporated a record 48,000 registrations made in September alone, came despite an overall drop in new car registrations nationally.

Simon Williams from the RAC said the figures were proof of electric vehicles becoming more mainstream.

He said a wider choice of vehicles, longer travel ranges and fewer fears about having to recharge mid-journey meant more drivers were becoming more willing to take the 'zero-emission plunge'.

Mr Williams added: "If petrol and diesel prices continue to stay at near record levels, those who can afford to will be increasingly tempted to go electric."

The Government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and ensuring all new sales are 'zero emissions at the tailpipe' by 2035.

Of the ULEVs registered in Copeland as of September, 96 were battery powered – defined as zero emission.

A further 85 were plug-in hybrid electric models, which combine an electric motor with a petrol or diesel engine.

In 2021, the number of charge points increased by a third.

Discussing a future where more drivers decided to buy electric cars, Andrew Furness from Walkmill Motors at Moresby Parks said: “We have recently fitted electric charging ports into the building preparing for the EV market. I feel with the cars we sell we are still quite a few years away from that day, but we like to be proactive.”