A greener, more traffic friendly solution for delivering goods will be put into action in Bath as transport bosses try to rid the heritage city of lorries.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has won 777,000 euro (£695,000) of funding from the European Commission to set up a freight transhipment depot for heavy goods vehicles.

Rather than driving into the centre of Bath to make deliveries, lorries will be able to unload their goods at the depot, the location of which is to be decided.

Then, smaller delivery vehicles, likely to be electric- powered, will take goods to shops and businesses. On their return journey, they will bring back waste packaging for recycling.

The council is aiming to get a demonstration project running in March next year, with a permanent scheme to follow if it is successful.

Council representatives visited a similar project being operated by DHL Exel Supply Chain at Avonmouth, Bristol.

More than 70 shops in the city centre and Cabot Circus have signed up to the scheme set up in partnership with Bristol City Council more than three years ago.

On average, 330 cages of stock are delivered every week and more than half are moved by electric trucks, which have no carbon emissions.

Congestion and pollution has been reduced and DHL has recycled 14 tonnes of cardboard and three tonnes of plastic, mostly returned to the centre by retailers.

Supporters of the idea say hauliers benefit because it saves drivers time and reduces distances driven. And they say shoppers and residents benefit from a less congested and less polluted city centre.

Councillor Charles Gerrish (Cons, Keynsham North), said: "Bath and North East Somerset Council recognises the need to reduce HGV lorry traffic travelling to and through Bath. This will help unclog the roads and improve air quality.

"The freight transhipment depot has worked very effectively in Bristol and the council believes the same could take place in Bath by working in partnership with the private sector to make such a scheme worthwhile.

"This initiative will go hand in hand with the rest of the council's joined-up plan for £60m of transport measures, such as expanded park and ride and bus rapid transit, to help tackle traffic congestion."

Independent studies suggest over a 12-hour period in the Bath urban area, a quarter of lorries go in to bring goods from outside the city.

City centre manager Andrew Cooper said: "This scheme has been successful in Bristol and elsewhere in the UK. A pilot is welcome to see if the same benefits can be achieved in Bath.

"There are numerous delivery vehicles that block shop windows and the line of sight from Union Street to Milsom Street that deters shoppers.

"Fewer vehicles during the trading day would be welcomed by businesses and shoppers alike."