FRACK Off Our Forest (FOOF) has a new ally in its fight against fracking in the area, as Greenpeace campaigner Rick Guest from Hereford has joined forces with the group.

Rick said: “I sat for a day with a sign saying: ‘Don’t frack the shire Jesse,’ outside my MPJesse Norman’s office in early May. He’s now sitting in the government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with responsibility for climate change.

“I’ve joined forces with (FOOF) and about 500 other anti-fracking groups nationwide to take the message from the shires of England that fracking will be resisted at every turn. I’m planning a quest to the heart of government to draw attention to fracking licences that threaten the tranquillity of the outstanding Wye Valley and its neighbouring Forest of Dean.

“FOOF have done an amazing job highlighting the issues facing the Forest of Dean. The Foresters have been formidable; through crowdfunding, FOOF have managed to produce extensive evidence and material that undermines suggestions that fracking would be safe in the Forest of Dean, where a determined and active groundswell of support against it exists.”

Owen Adams from FOOF agrees. “Anywhere with a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) should be taking baseline tests on soil and water, now, before any operations begin,” he said.