POLICE had to escort district councillors from their offices due to ‘intimidatory’ behaviour from anti-fracking demonstrators in Coleford on Monday.

The protestors have been accused of intimidating behaviour, obstructing council staff who were heading home after work, breaking doors and removing the Union Flag from Forest of Dean District Council offices on High Street on April 25.

Police advised councillors not to leave the building for over an hour after anti-fracking demonstrators had gathered in protest of a private scrutiny meeting between the council and South Western Energy.

The firm, which has the contract for gas exploration in the Forest of Dean, was giving a presentation on the technical issues surrounding drilling in the area.

Councillor Roger James (Coleford East, Lab), scrutiny committee chairman, said that the protestors’ behaviour was shocking.

He said:“They restricted the path of council staff who were leaving to go home after a long day’s work. They removed the Union flag and replaced it with their own.

“They created a nuisance. When councillors went to leave they put themselves tight against their cars to obstruct their exit.

“The scrutiny process is one that is fully based on evidence and Frack Off Our Forest would have been one of the parties coming to us to give evidence.

“They have done their cause a grave disservice and they will lose the support of a lot of people.

“If they think they can influence the scrutiny with this intimidatory behaviour they are sadly mistaken.

“It makes you wonder. What kind of organisation are they?”

St Briavels Councillor Terry Hale (Con) said: “The protestors were quite aggressive.

"They took it out on the councillors until they realised who they were. The police didn’t seem to want to do anything.

"The protestors were after the company members. They covered all the doors and broke the doors on the front. It was quite nasty.

"I talked to them on the way out and told them they weren’t doing themselves any favours.

“The meeting finished at 6.30pm and we were all locked in until 7.50pm.”

Cllr Len Lawton (Newent Central, Con) also attended the meeting and said he was followed by protestors as he tried to enter the offices and was obstructed on exiting.

He said: “I’ve lost all sympathy I had with their cause now they’ve resorted to bully-boy tactics.

“The protestors who were at the offices at the start of the meeting were not unfriendly, but I don’t think many of those that stuck around until we left were local.

“When I got to the car there were two against the bonnet of the van. They wouldn’t let me go until I identified who I was to them.

“I’m in favour of people protesting and raising their concerns peacefully and I have been on protest marches in showing solidarity for various causes and concerns.”

Owen Adams, spokesperson for Frack Off Our Forest campaign group, said: “We do not condone or condemn these allegations. We just encourage people to protest in the way they see fit.

“We sent out a not welcome event for South Western Energy and we wanted to make some noise to show them that they are not welcome in our Forest.

“I didn’t see any violent behaviour and we had no issues with the police at all.”

A police spokesperson told The Forester: “We advised the councillors to stay in the building for their own safety and then helped them leave without incident.

"Officers have visited the building and are satisfied no damage was caused to the door.

“We haven’t received any other reports of incidents but would investigate any that are made.”

A district council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a protest took place at the Coleford council offices on Monday 25 April and that the offices remained open to the public as normal and the presentation to members continued as planned.”

• While the Forest of Dean District Council is being consulted on the proposed mineral extraction, the final planning decision lies with Gloucestershire County Council.