WATNEY Hall in Lydney hosted the first public meeting of Forest Leave the EU.

Guest speakers were local businessmen Tom Atkinson and Richard Ford who discussed the ‘detrimental’ effect of EU regulations on small enterprises in the Forest.

County Councillor Richard Leppington (UKIP, Bream and Blakeney) spoke about the ‘negative’ impact of mass EU migration on the everyday lives of working people.

Members of the audience were able to quiz the speakers about the cost of EU membership and the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) agreement.

After the meeting Richard Leppington said: “We will continue to hold public meetings and street stalls. People need to know the facts and not the scare stories put out by the ‘remain’ side.”