New homes in suburban England would need to be fitted with electric car charging points under a government proposal to cut emissions.

Ministers also want new street lights to come with charge points wherever there's on-street parking. Details of a sales ban on new conventional petrol and diesel cars by 2040 are also expected to be set out.

The government's target is to reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels, by 2050.

The proposals, announced by the Secretary of State for Transport, aim to make it easier to recharge an electric car rather than refuel petrol or diesel vehicles.

They include:

• The need to assess if new homes and offices should be required to install charging points as standard;
• New street lighting columns with on-street parking to have charging points in appropriate locations. More money being allocated to fund charging infrastructure.

'Step in the Right Direction'

In the first six months of this year, electric vehicles made up only 5.5% of the UK's new car market, compared with 4.3% over the same period in 2017.

The RAC Foundation, a motoring research charity, found that growth in the electric car industry was hampered by a lack of widespread, reliable and easy-to-use public charging points.

Research by the AA showed eight out of ten drivers see the lack of charging points as a stumbling block to buying an electric car.

The motoring organisation said the proposals were ‘a step in the right direction,’ adding that ‘there is still much to do to wean drivers off petrol and diesel cars.’