Waterless urinals, rainwater flushing and solar panels are just some of the eco-friendly facilities in a new £6m Oxfordshire County Council building.

The council has moved 300 staff from Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington into Samuelson House, in Banbury.

Built on a former printworks opposite the Tramway Industrial Estate, the new offices house social care teams and NHS Oxfordshire staff.

The move, which follows a review of council property, was funded by the sale of offices closed through staff relocation.

Phil Longford, the council's service manager for facilities management and business support, said: “We gave a lot of thought to the design of Samuelson House and have incorporated a number of features that make it environmentally-friendly — and a home for the local bats who feed at the nearby River Cherwell and Oxford Canal.

“Rainwater will be utilised to flush toilets and there are a number of other features we can use to save energy.”

Solar panels will help heat water and there is natural ventilation to cool rooms.

In the building's loft, boxes have been built to cater for the local pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats.