MANY people like the sound of electric milk floats because it reminds them of their childhood.

Now the evocative noise is less likely to interrupt the dawn chorus as a new generation of quieter vehicles is being introduced.

Milk & More, which calls itself Britain’s largest doorstep milk delivery service and has a depot in Old Abingdon Road, Oxford, is rolling out its quietest and most-environmentally friendly delivery vehicles to date.

The new electric fleet features 200 StreetScooter EV vans in a £6.5m nationwide investment.

Powered by rechargeable batteries, the StreetScooters are replacing diesel vehicles.

Noise reduction is seen a major benefit as milkmen and women are delivering to 14,500 customers’ homes before 7am.

Milk & More CEO Patrick Müller said: “Our customers are at the heart of every decision we take and that includes our investment in the StreetScooter milk floats.

“The new StreetScooters are our most environmentally-friendly milk floats yet and are a fundamental part of a wider business strategy to provide a trusted home delivery service that connects customers with a wide range of high-quality, locally-sourced products.

“We are already seeing the results of this strategy with a significant growth in online customers and in the sales of milk in one pint glass bottles. We deliver 100 million of these glass bottles every year, which are reused on average 25 times each.”

The new milk floats have zero emissions and in the first month of operation Milk & More has seen a 90 per cent reduction in operational fuel costs compared to the outgoing diesel vehicles.

Designed to ensure maximum capacity, each float can carry up to 860 pints of milk as well as a range of other products.

Managers said the new vehicles ensured driver safety as they are all left-hand drive to enable milkmen to get in and out of floats on the kerbside.

Mr Müller added: “The StreetScooter is an ideal fit, from an environmental and noise reduction standpoint, for both us and our customers.

“We’re on a transformational journey and the StreetScooter certainly helps us make this iconic tradition relevant to 21st century customers. It’s an exciting time for the business.”

Since January, the firm has secured 40,000 new online customers, and 90 per cent of them are buying their milk in its iconic glass bottles, each of which can be reused on average 25 times.

Milk & More employs 1,200 staff across the UK and makes 80 million deliveries a year.

As well as milk, customers can order other dairy products as well as groceries, as the firm competes against supermarkets using their own doorstep delivery services. Customers can manage their accounts online and place their orders up to 9pm the night before their early morning delivery.