Northampton has revealed it plans to launch an urban cycle-hire scheme - similar to London's 'Boris Bikes' - by the end of this year in an effort to create a cleaner, greener, healthier county.

The joint initiative between the county and borough council would see docking stations at the university campus, the railway station, the entrance to Becket's Park, the skate park at Midsummer Meadow, Brackmills and the new bus interchange in the town centre.

People would become members of the scheme and use a PIN code to release bikes from the docking station before returning it at the end of their journey.

Work is being done to finalise the details of the hire scheme, though the county council said charges would vary depending on the length of the journey.