Forth, which is based in Cumbria, has taken steps to turn its fleet of commercial vehicles fully electric as part of its aim of becoming carbon neutral. The company has replaced two of its fossil-fuel vehicles with environment-friendly electric vehicles (EVs) — and has a further car on order to join the electric fleet.

The company has purchased a Renault Kangoo E-Tech van and a Hyundai Kona EV, with another to come, and it plans to completely electrify all its vehicles used by staff members.

Graham Cartwright, Forth’s projects director, said: “We feel as a company that we all should be doing our bit for the environment, and we are considering what steps we can take to hit our target of becoming carbon neutral. When you consider the positive impact it will have on the environment, it makes perfect sense to be turning our fleet of vehicles electric.

“By taking small steps such as this, we can make a big difference on the world around us and we are planning ahead to implement further measures. We hope that by showing we can make a difference by implementing new measures, other companies will also show their commitment to being more environment-friendly.

“EVs are developing all the time and the mile ranges are improving significantly, so adopting them into our business is becoming more practicable by the day. At a time when petrol and diesel prices are at a record high, the savings on fuel alone makes the transformation work from a business point of view.”

Meanwhile, an electric charging point is in the pipeline for Forth’s headquarters in Flimby. Forth also has bases in Cleator Moor and Barrow.