A motorist has been told he is not allowed to install an electric vehicle charger at his Bolton at Home property  - despite Bolton Council waiving a fee to make it easier for residents to charge their cars where they live.

Mark Nuttall bought his hybrid car earlier this year and believed he would have no issues when it came to powering it up at home.

But the 49-year-old has been told by Bolton at Home he cannot have a charging point at  home on Kestrel Avenue, Highfield due to not having a driveway.

Mr Nuttall, a CCTV supervisor, has said his plan was to have the charger in his back garden and to park the car outside.

He said: “I thought there would be no issues. I saw Bolton Council saying they encourage electric vehicles.

“It’s Bolton at Home and Bolton Council working against each other.

“It would have come outside my garden and charged the car, it would not have tripped anyone up.

“It’s very frustrating.

“The car is a hybrid so it’s half petrol and half electric charge, it can go for 30 miles before it needs fuel, for getting about town it is great, it only needs petrol if you take it on the motorway.

“Someone from Bolton at Home came to inspect and they said they had declined seven of their last eight applications for a charger for a hybrid vehicle.”

Mr Nuttall has said in order to be able to carry on using the vehicle he now plans to replace his back garden with a driveway.

He said: “This is going to cost thousands.”

Bolton Council announced earlier this year that it would be investing £2.4million in electric vehicle charging points across the borough to meet the rising demand for these vehicles.

And only last month the council announced it is to waive fees to help residents to charge electric vehicles at home given Bolton has a high proportion of traditional terrace housing, meaning many residents lack the off-street parking normally needed to charge an electric car.

Emerging contractors such as Kerbo Charge are offering new services which allow motorists to run a cable to their car without obstructing the pavement.

While installation of this kind would normally require home owners to pay for a £565 street works permit, Bolton Council said it is waiving the fee for a temporary trial basis. The council said they must be notified of any installation and is urging those wishing to install cabling to use reputable contractors only.

The cable must be removed when not charging.

A spokesperson for Bolton at Home, said: “Requests to install EV charging points at existing properties are reviewed on an individual basis.

“The granting of requests depends on a number of factors, including health and safety risks, the capacity of the property’s electrical system and whether adequate insurance can be obtained.

"In this instance, the back alley is not owned by Bolton at Home so we would not be able to permit the use of vehicle charging in this location.

“We are committed to helping customers embrace low carbon technologies where possible. All our new build properties feature EV charging points where there is a private driveway.

“As the infrastructure for electric vehicles continues to develop, we hope to find ways of providing charging points on more of our existing properties, something that will support our journey towards net zero over the coming years.”