A CAMPAIGN aimed at preventing fracking in the Forest of Dean has been dismissed as “scare-mongering” by Tory General Election candidate Mark Har­per.

Speaking at a hustings debate at St Stephen’s Church, Cinderford, last Thursday (June 1), Mr Harper said fracking would not be possible in the Forest as there is no shale rock in the area.

Owen Adams, of campaign group Frack Off Our Forest, responded: “You are contradicting every geological report.”

Mr Harper was loudly heckled as he claimed the campaign against fracking was “scare-mongering”.

He said: “There can’t be any fracking because there is no shale rock to frack.

“The stuff you read is scare-mongering by people who want to turn this into an issue where it simply doesn’t exist. The threat is not there.”

Labour candidate Shaun Stammers said he was “100 per cent against” fracking.

He said: “We have only drilled down 1,000 metres – you don’t know what’s underneath.”

UKIP’s Ernie Warrender said fracking everyone should have a say on.

He added: “Personally, I don’t think it’s right to go around ripping up large chunks of historic land.”

Independent Julian Burritt – who is campaigning on a programme of MPs being guided by the votes of constituents on individual issues – said he was against fracking.

He said: “If the Forest of Dean as a community instructed me to vote for fracking, I would – it’s that simple.

“Personally, I’m against it and I think by a

long chalk everyone is against.”

James Greenwood for the Greens said the Conservative-controlled district council had voted unanimously against fracking but said Mr Harper had not shown leadership.

He said: “We needed leadership and we needed it badly.”

Mr Adams told the

Review the campaign against fracking was not “scare-mongering”.

He said: “Licences (for gas exploration) were issued in areas with

carboniferous limestone shale beds lying at a depth of more than 1,000 metres.

“The available maps show there is carboniferous limestone under the Forest.”