WREXHAM Council has unveiled a new fleet of repair vans.

The authority has taken delivery of 78 new panel vans and six flatbed pickups for the housing repairs team, and seven pickups for the estate caretaking team, which will help operatives carry out repairs for customers across more than 11,200 council houses.

The previous fleet was a mix of Ford Transits, Fiat Forino and Vauxhall Corsa, and had been on the road for some years – with some of them having served for more than 11 years.

Due to the age of some vehicles in the old fleet, breakdowns were frequent and the council often had to rely on externally hired vehicles to get things done.

A lot of the work the repairs team has to do has become larger, especially when working on void properties, meaning they need better and more reliable transport to ensure targets are met.

With a new Housing and Economy senior management team in place, approval was gained to upgrade the fleet and bring all of the housing repair and caretaker vehicles up to a more reliable, better-presented professional standard.

Cllr David Griffiths, lead member for housing, said: “Our housing repairs team provide a round-the-clock service 365 days a year for all council tenants – whether that’s at council houses or in sheltered housing.

“As such, it’s very important that we have a serviceable and reliable fleet across all of our estates.

“We want tenants to know and feel that they’re getting a good professional service from us. Part of that is in presentation, and these new vans certainly tick that box.

“I’d like to thank AN Richards for their work in supplying us with the new fleet, and I’m especially pleased that we’ve been able to source the new vehicles through a local company.”