NEWCASTLE City Council is taking delivery of 82 Citroen Berlingo vans and four Berlingo Multispace cars in a multi-million pound deal.

The vehicles are the first Citroens to be specified by the fleet and replace Fords and Vauxhalls on its 800-vehicle fleet.

The council's Cityworks department will use the Berlingos, providing transport for staff, including plumbers and electricians.

All the vehicles will be converted to run on liquefied petroleum gas, as part of the council's commitment to convert half its fleet to gaseous fuels by the end of May.

Supplied by Springfield Citroen, the vehicles will be operated on three-year/ 36,000-miles leases, although the council will not name the supplier. They will be maintained in-house by the council's transport engineering department.