Boots has introduced five electric vehicles to its pharmacy delivery and collection service as part of a pilot project to reduce its environmental footprint.

Delivering prescriptions to patients' homes in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, the company says that the decision to use five Renault Kangoo iVans, which are fitted with technology which provides real-time engine analysis to help drivers improve their fuel efficiency and safety, has been supported by Nottingham City Transport's Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Scheme, which has created charging stations on the Boots site to power the vehicles.

It is estimated the vans could reduce Boots' environmental footprint by 22 carbon tonnes per year.

Eddie Storr, head of supply chain pharmacy at Boots UK, said: “Running over 9,500 routes a week with a van fleet of 900, we are continually looking at ways to improve both the efficiency of our service and its environmental impact. Over the last six months, we have achieved significant mileage reductions through better route planning and the next step on our journey is to reduce our carbon footprint is to introduce zero emission delivery vehicles. Following the launch in Nottingham, we are looking at other locations around the country to expand our electric fleet.”