PEDDLE power is now available to rent in Corfe Mullen and Upton to help residents and visitors get around.

People can now rent one of 80 Beryl bikes – both pedal and electric – which can be picked up from bays in the towns.

The bays, marked with green Beryl signage, are located at sites around the towns, with riders needing to download the Beryl app to book their bike and hit the road.

Having already proven a success in Wimborne, Ferndown, Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Wool, and Studland, the bike share scheme is now expanding its reach so more people can explore the area.

Councillor Noc Lacey Clarke, Dorset Council’s cabinet lead for highways and travel, said: “We are delighted this popular bike hire scheme has extended to cover mid Dorset, it’s an ideal way to make the most of the area, leave the car at home and get active.

“If you haven’t tried an electric bike before, the new e-bikes are a great addition to the fleet, helping make those hillier areas more manageable.”

The Beryl app is available for free on the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android users.

Cllr Clarke added: “Dorset Council has ambitious targets for carbon emission reduction over the coming years, so providing a way for more people to leave their vehicles at home and hop on a bike aligns with our goal of creating stronger and healthier communities.”

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “We want to encourage even more people to take up sustainable transport and expanding our services to serve the Corfe Mullen and Upton areas will enable us to do this.

“By getting more people out of the car and onto two wheels, we can contribute towards getting more people active and improving public health as well as cutting congestion on the area’s roads and improving air quality.

“We can also save people money, as our services are cost-effective compared to private vehicle use, removing the need to pay for fuel, insurance, tax, MOT, parking, storage and maintenance.”

Dorset’s bike rental scheme launched in August last year and, so far, has generated more than 5,500 journeys covering nearly 20,000km.