TORFAEN is stalling on introducing electric car charging points, according to a new government league table exposing gaps in the UK's electric infrastructure.

The area has been singled out for being among more than 100 local authorities which still have 10 or fewer charge points per 100,000 residents.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps has called on councils to do more to make electric cars the "new normal".

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The Department for Transport estimates there were just seven public charging devices in Torfaen at the beginning of October.

That's a rate of eight devices per 100,000 people, significantly lower than the Welsh average.

Regular devices can take up to eight hours to charge electric cars, while rapid charging points can crank a battery up to 100 per cent in under half an hour.

Torfaen does not have any rapid chargers, according to the league table.

Local authorities in the UK have access to a £5 million fund to help build up their electric infrastructure.

Mr Shapps said: "Your postcode should play no part in how easy it is to use an electric car, and I’m determined electric vehicles become the new normal for drivers.

“It’s good news there are now more charging locations than petrol stations, but the clear gaps in provision are disappointing.

"I urge local councils to take advantage of all the government support on offer to help ensure drivers in their area don’t miss out."

The DfT used information from the platform Zap-Map, which says it has details of around 95 per cent of publicly accessible charge points.

Across Wales, there are 529 charge points, including 58 rapid devices.

That gives an average rate of 17 per 100,000 people, compared to a UK-wide average of 23.

Scotland leads the way among the four nations, clocking up 1,743 devices, or 32 per 100,000 people.

However, RAC director Steve Gooding said simply "totting up" the number of charge points reveals nothing about whether councils are choosing the best locations for motorists.

He said: “The fact that central government is making funds available to councils to install charge points is welcome, but without accompanying advice on where best to locate them it shouldn’t surprise us that many authorities are stalling on how best to proceed.

“Ideally, we’d have a sustained grant programme married to a national strategy, including guidance for locating on-street chargers and a plan for creating a network of rapid chargers for people on the move.”