Residents in an East Lothian town can charge their electronic vehicles for free after an old street cabinet was converted into a charging point for the first time in UK history, the BT Group has announced.

The green metal cabinet in Haddington, near Edinburgh, was selected as the first pilot in a UK-wide trial which could eventually see 4,800 BT-owned street cabinets in Scotland converted into charging points, according to STV.

The hope is that converting the cabinets, which are usually used to store telephone and broadband cables, will address the shortage of public charging points, which, the BT Group says, is currently deterring many people from switching to an electronic vehicle (EV).

Tom Guy, from the BT Group, said: “Our research shows that 78% of petrol and diesel drivers see not being able to conveniently charge an EV as a key barrier to purchasing one. We want this to change.

“It’s critical that we all start to play our part in looking at existing infrastructure to drive innovation at speed to support government-set sustainability target.”