Electric car owners are subjected to a “postcode lottery” for access to charge points, a green group has claimed.

The east and south west of England suffer a “charging desert” while other areas have “ample infrastructure”, Transport & Environment said.

Its analysis found that the worst performing local authority areas have less than 5% of the public chargers they are expected to need to meet demand by 2025.

The research found that the current rate of around 800 new chargers being installed every month in the UK will need to almost double from 2025 as the number of electric cars grows more quickly and more drivers without off-street parking begin to use them.

Transport & Environment UK director Greg Archer said: “The current network is adequate in most places, but we must level up access to public charging throughout the UK and end the postcode lottery.

“Local authorities should be required to provide a right to charge for residents and visitors.

“It’s up to the Government to give the funding and support needed to make this happen.”

MPs warned on Wednesday that the Government lacks a plan for the “huge challenge” of banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

A report from the influential parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PA ) said the cost of purchasing a zero-emission car is “still too high” for many motorists.

The committee said it is “not convinced” that the Government is doing enough to provide the necessary charging infrastructure, such as for drivers in rural areas or without off-road parking at home.

The Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy must do more to consider the consequences of prohibiting the sale of traditionally fuelled cars, according to the inquiry.

The UK intends to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, with hybrids prohibited from 2035.

Just 11% of new car registrations last year were for ultra-low emission cars.

“Getting from this level to 100% as new petrol and diesel cars are phased out is a huge challenge,” the report warned.

A Government spokeswoman said: “We’ve got a highly ambitious and world-leading approach to increasing the uptake of zero-emission cars, and the progress we’re making in this area will help us to meet our targets.

“Already, we’re investing £2.8 billion in helping industry and drivers make the switch, and will continue our work to install thousands of charge points and boost the development of new technologies to meet our goals.”