RESIDENTS are being challenged to grow their own food, recycle more and suggest ideas to tackle flooding as part of a drive to make Colchester more environmentally- friendly.

Colchester Council is the first in Essex to launch its own environmental sustainability strategy to encourage people to be greener.

The council is looking to lead the way by changing its vehicles to run on more environmentally- friendly fuel and setting up charging points for electric cars.

Tim Young, councillor responsible for community safety, said: “We also have pool bikes and car sharing is taking off. Transport is such an important issue, but there is only so much we can do, as Essex County Council is the highways authority.

“We are getting mixed messages from County Hall, particularly over the Cymbeline Way crossing and its future. We need to work together and get people to change their behaviour.”

Mr Young said the idea of the strategy was to set out the council’s targets and encourage other councils to follow suit. The project also aims to encourage families to grow fruit and vegetables in their gardens and on allotments.

Council staff will go into schools and talk to children about growing food in the hope they will to pass the message on to their families.

The council has already started putting solar panels on the roofs of council homes, and is looking at making future council houses more environmentally- friendly.

On flooding, the council wants householders to look at ways to protect themselves though Mr Young added: “We wouldn’t have any specific flooding project.

“If we have a group which needs help, we would then be able to help them find funding through this strategy.”

The council wants to reduce its carbon emission levels by 40 per cent by 2020. It is already on the way to this, having exceeded the current year’s 25 per cent target, by achieving a 32 per cent reduction.

Mr Young added: “This is about pooling all the work we have been doing together into one strategy.”