Man gives up on electric car after charging ordeal

A motorist who was told he could not charge his electric car outside his house said he had been left with no choice but to sell it.

David Kelsall said Oldham Council had judged that charging cables would pose a trip hazard outside his home in Hathershaw, Greater Manchester.

After six months of wrangling, the retired mechanic said he had sold his vehicle because the "cost and worry" of using public charging points - where he said he did not feel safe - had caused him so much stress that he felt ill.

Oldham Council, which has been contacted for comment, previously said it was waiting for guidance about allowing on-street charging.

Mr Kelsall said his row with the council had been an "ordeal that was making me ill".

Selling the car was the "only solution" he said, adding that he had been forced to "bite the bullet" and replace it with a hybrid model.

He said he was upset more could not have been done to help electric vehicle users who do not have off-street parking in Oldham.

"Councils will need to address that as anyone who buys an EV will face the same problems I have had," Mr Kelsall added.

He previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he felt unsafe using the nearest public charger, three miles away from his home, because of his heart condition and anti-social behaviour in the area.

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