A VILLAGE parish council has announced the acquisition of an all-electric utility vehicle as part of its ambition to become the greenest council in the borough.

Earls Colne Parish Council’s new Yamaha UMX AC electric utility vehicle is quickly becoming a big asset within the village as it continues its going-green mission.

Residents of the parish are becoming used to seeing the vehicle on its daily journeys around the village, picking up waste from bins and delivering materials for the council’s various activities.

The Four Colnes show saw the council running a competition to name the new vehicle with a prize of a jar of sweets being offered, sponsored by the EColnes Refillery shop.

The vehicle was given the name Bert-E and is part of the parish council's recent upgrade to its toolset for regular jobs around Earls Colne.

The council has also traded in some of its other equipment that was petrol driven in favour of cleaner, rechargeable electric units such as strimmers and leaf blowers.

A spokesman said: “As existing units reach the end of their useful functionality, due to age, the council will look to replace these with cleaner alternatives wherever possible.

“However, due to the maturity of alternative technologies, this may not always be possible.

“An example is the need to replace and upgrade the mower that is used to maintain the open spaces that the council is responsible for.

“At this time a viable electric alternative is not available. So, a traditional petrol unit was really the only cost effective option.

“Be assured, however, that the parish council will be keeping an eye on emerging new technology and, where it is economically feasible, will seek to acquire greener alternatives wherever possible.”