DRINKING water supplies in the Forest of Dean could be poisoned by underground ‘fracking’ toxins leaching into the aquifer, says county council chairman Graham Morgan.

Councillor Morgan is calling for a major geological survey of the Forest of Dean, before any further steps towards ‘fracking’ in the area go ahead.

His call comes in the wake of the Government publishing details of areas designated suitable for Hydraulic Fracturing to harvest gas from underground shale deposits

In a UK map highlighting suitable ‘blocks of land’, one ‘block’ covers the Forest of Dean from Mitcheldean in the north to Alvington in the south and from Newnham in the east to Newland in the west.

Councillor Morgan, said: “I am totally opposed to fracking anywhere in the Forest.”

Companies looking to carry out exploratory investigations, followed by testing and possible extraction of onshore oil or gas, including shale gas, must apply for planning permission from Gloucestershire County Council.

The Forest of Dean District Council would act as a consultee on any planning applications for the Forest of Dean. A spokesman said: “The authority will take into account the sensitivity of our area to adverse effects from pollution and consider the arguments for and against before making an informed decision.”

For the full story by The Forester.