Utilita Bowl cricket ground goes green in solar power switch

A cricket stadium is to switch to solar power in a bid to become "the greenest ground in the world".

Utilita Bowl in Southampton began installing the 1,044 panels in July, after it received planning approval from Eastleigh Borough Council.

The stadium sponsor, Utilita Energy, funded the project which it hopes will cover 25% of the annual electricity used in the venue.

The switch-on will take place before England host Australia in the first of their three T20 internationals this month.

More than 600 panels have been placed on top of the venue's hotel, with about 180 going on the roofs of the East and West stands.

It is believed the panels will save the venue, formerly known as the Ageas Bowl and the Rose Bowl, a six-figure sum each year in electricity costs - as well as 80 tonnes of carbon.

David Mann, chief executive at Utilita Bowl, said this was "the first key step" on the path to becoming "the world's greenest cricket ground ".

He said the stadium had commissioned six electric vehicle charging points at the venue's hotel and added it was still looking to find space to install more solar panels at the site.

"It really does seem to be the way forward with energy bills and the cost of power being so high, alongside the impact on the planet," Mr Mann said.

"I think this really is something we're going to focus on."