ELECTRIC vehicle drivers have been left high and dry in one part of Herefordshire, with a town's chargers out of order and beyond repair.

Drivers on the search for a charge in Bromyard are out of luck, reveals a report from properties officer D Berry to the town council's properties committee on November 11.

The report said the electric vehicle chargers in the Tenbury Road car park, which are the only public chargers listed in the town on Zapmap, are currently out of service.

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"BP Pulse has advised us that, due to their age, these units can no longer be repaired," the report said.

"Upgrading the chargers has been a goal for some time, though securing the necessary power supply has presented challenges. However, we are actively exploring solutions to address these issues and hope to be able to have faster chargers installed at this location in the future."

Upgrading the current chargers, which are BP Pulse 7kw chargers, has long been on the agenda for Bromyard and Winslow Town Council.

Back in 2022, the council's properties committee heard from the properties officer that the current chargers are "very slow" and that use had increased significantly, with locals and visitors requesting more suitable charging.

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In October that year, minutes reveal, the council was in talks with two EV charging companies and two proposals were to be considered.

But by September 2023, there was still no movement on the chargers, with committee minutes revealing that the need to upgrade the existing transformer and high voltage network would need a "significant investment" of around £250,000, plus £400,000 covered by National Grid, due to the distance from the mains to the car park.

"Until such time as the grid network reinforcement works are commissioned, Swarco is unable to proceed any further with the project," the minutes said.

In contrast, Zapmap shows chargers available for public use at seven sites in Leominster, while there are three in Ross-on-Wye.