A GROUP of Caldicot scouts have built their own electric car and are preparing for their first race.

The 2nd Caldicot Scout Group has been working for more than a year on building the battery-powered car from a special kit.

On Tuesday, the scouts, aged between ten and 14, gave the car its first successful test run at Caerwent Army Base.

Rachel Smith, group scout leader, said the hard work had been worth it and the test run had gone smoothly and they were ready for racing.

She said: "We bought the kit for £350 and then have worked on it with help every Tuesday.

"We are always looking for different things to do and this has been great. The scouts have been really excited and they have all worked as a team to build the car and it's been a really great experience."

The first race for the scouts will be at the Haynes Motor Museum, Yeovil, on Sunday, September 19, where they will compete against 28 other teams in the Somerset heat.

Mrs Smith said they would take 12 scouts, six as drivers and six as pit crew, and they will have to do as many laps as possible in six hours.

There will be platinum, gold, silver and bronze medals awarded at the end of the day.

Mrs Smith said they hoped to carry on year after year making modifications to the car.