I've lost £7k after the council banned me from charging my EV outside my own house - the way they've behaved is disgusting

A man who was banned from charging his electric car at home said it is disgusting' he has been forced to get a new motor.

Retired mechanic David Kelsall, 76, has been pleading with the council for the six months to let him charge his car on the street outside his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

He does not have a driveway so his car would have to have been charged while parked on the street.

Council officials refused to budge with officials insisted an electric cable across the pavement to his electric vehicle would be a 'trip hazard'.

He gave up going to his local public charging point as his car had been attacked by three yobs.

So the exasperated father-of-three decided to solve his charging crisis himself.

However he has lost £7,000 after trading in his original car for an orange Fiat hybrid.

Mr Kelsall told MailOnline: 'It's shocking in this day and age that I have to come up with a solution to this.

'It's a crazy situation.

'I mean electric cars are part of the solution to global warming and helping the planet.

'Yet the council are standing in the way of progress and want to stop me doing the right thing.

'So now I've had to trade in my electric one for a hybrid so I've lost £7,000 in equity.

'It's disgusting really that I've had to do this and the council have ignored my pleas.

'All they kept saying was that to run a cable over the pavement from my house was a trip hazard.

'But you should look at the state of the pavement on our road.

'There's trip hazards everywhere with bumps in the road or roots growing out of trees.'

Speaking by his new car, the former Kwik Fit manager said: 'I'm not doing this for myself but for others who will also have to go through this.

'I did think about suing the council and I have spoken to my MP.

'Thw rules need changing for people like me who don't have a driveway.

'I did put out a cable and my neighbours didn't complain, I asked them an they said we are 100 per cent behind you.'

Michael Dolan, 73, who lives opposite him, said: 'I support him but I don't think he's going to change the council's mind.

'This road is full of old people and they could trip over a cable.'

The retired engineer, who has worked in Siberia and Argentina after the 1982 Falklands War, said: 'Mind you, he is right.

'This needs fixing as electric cars are the future.'

Mr Kelsall wrote to the council with an idea for a trench in the pavement to run a cable but it was ignored as his pleas were rejected.

Oldham Council's highway technical officer Sean Newberry wrote back and told him that street charging was banned 'due to concerns 'over the risk of trips and falls'.

He added: 'The council has taken legal advise stating that it is not lawful to run a cable over the pavement' and told him to use public charging points.

However the divorced father said the public charging area is plagued with anti-social behaviour.

'I had three young men surround the car and kick it and then another time I was being harassed for money.

'It's not safe.'

Councillor Chris Goodwin said: 'We are still waiting for guidance to be published and in the meantime are working with Transport for Greater Manchester to develop a regional approach..

He said trials in other areas had shown cables in 'pavement channels' could be 'dangerous' to pedestrians, especially people with limited vision or mobility issues.

Local authorities including Milton Keynes and Bolton are piloting their own on-street parking schemes with designs that are fitted in ridges across the pavement.