COUNTRYSIDE staff are travelling rural routes by electric power.

The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) has welcomed a new terrain tackling team member designed to help counter climate change.

Denbighshire County Council declared a Climate Change and Ecological Emergency in July 2019 and committed to seeking to become a Net Carbon Zero and Ecologically Positive Council by 2030.

And now, an electric-powered utility task vehicle (e-UTV)is now currently based at Loggerheads Country Park offering countryside rangers a zero emission option to carry out their daily duties.

The vehicle is a Polaris Ranger EV, with a single 48-volt, high-efficiency, AC-induction motor.

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It joins the recently-acquired Renault Kangoo Z.E van mobile observatory electric, which is kitted out with astronomical equipment, including telescopes in support of the Dark Skies initiative.

The vehicle has been funded by Welsh Government's Sustainable Landscapes Sustainable Places programme for National Parks and AONBs in Wales.

Tasks that the e-UTV may undertake during the day include litter picks at the Jubilee Tower, visiting grazing animals or supporting staff carrying out path and boundary works around Loggerheads Country Park.

Countryside staff are currently learning the vehicle’s capabilities to find out how it could support at other rural sites.

Cllr Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport, said: “By showcasing what electric vehicles such as the e-UTV can do in the rural environment we work in, hopefully we are helping inform others about their own vehicle choices in this area.

“The zero source emissions of the vehicle mean the local impact is less than a fossil fuel UTV, much less air pollution and much less noise pollution.

“The use of the e-UTV also supports our push to rely less on fossil fuels-driven vehicles.”