New anti-fracking group in Ashfield to hold public meeting

New campaign group Frack Free Ashfield has organised the meeting at Kirkby Wetherspoons next Wednesday (May 25) at 7.30pm. .

Most of Mansfield and Worksop and parts of Ashfield are among huge areas licenced for fracking by the Government.

Skegby, Stanton Hill and Skegby are on the edge of the shale license areas.

In December he Government released new licenses covering huge areas of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire which could see oil and gas companies look to explore and extract shale gas and coal bed methane.

The licenses have been granted to global petrochemical manufacturer INEOS in the final part of UK Government’s 14th licensing round.

Organiser Pete Price said: “We want Ashfield residents to come and discuss what could be happening in our area now these licenses have been granted. I am concerned if it goes ahead about issues like water pollution excess traffic, earth tremors and other environmental issues.”

The group has been going for a month and is affiliated to the established campaign group Frack Free Nottinghamshire.

Greg Hewitt of campaign group Frack Free Nottinghamshire has organised a seperate meeting in Mansfield on Saturday May 28 at the Old Library Mansfield from 2-4pm . He said: “We will have a campaigner from Edinburgh at the meeting who has had experience of dealing with fracking in Scotland.

“The licenses cover areas around Sherwood Forest , Mansfield Forest town and Warsop and the fringes of Ashfield. INEOS will begin seismic testing later this year and they have already approached landowners about using their land.”