There was much fanfare when Farnham Town Council became the first local authority in the country to deploy a Goupil hybrid electric tipper truck to support work at its cemeteries and allotments in 2015.

But after just eight years, the French-built Goupil – which cost taxpayers £33,256 – is destined for the scrap heap because the necessary replacement parts are no longer made by its manufacturer.

It was revealed at last Thursday’s town council meeting that the vehicle had suffered frequent “wear and tear” issues and has been off the road for the past year.

Instead, town councillors agreed to splash up to £20,000 on a replacement second-hand Goupil, or similar model, with the old one to be either kept for spares or sold.

It means the town council will have spent more than £53,000 on two hybrid electric tipper trucks in under a decade.