Fears gas drilling a threat to rural areas of Shropshire

Andrew West from campaign group Frack Off also claimed drilling for shale gas could have wider implications for tourism and the economy while also adding to climate change problems.

He was speaking at a public meeting held at the Hermon Chapel in Oswestry last night to discuss the proposals for land at Dudleston, near Ellesmere.

Campaigners told the 75 people attending the meeting that such plans had caused huge problems in other countries such as the USA and Australia.

The scheme has sparked wider concerns from residents about the impact it would have on the environment.

The plan has been put forward by Dart Energy which aims to stage exploratory drilling for coal bed methane (CBM).

Campaigners fear the drilling could lead to controversial "fracking", or hydraulic fracturing, for shale gas in future years, a claim the company has denied.

Mr West said the process used in CBM extraction required a large number of wells to be drilled because the level of resources discovered peaks relatively quickly.

He said areas of the UK, including parts of Shropshire, had been identified as potential CBM sites.

He said: "This leads to the industrialisation of the rural areas. We have already seen it in other countries, such as the USA. You can't just drill a single well, you have to drill many, many wells."

Mr West said evidence from other countries showed the CBM process had affected water and ground quality, air pollution levels and people's health.

He urged people in Oswestry to work together to stop CBM drilling in the area.

Duncan Kerr of Frack Free North Shropshire urged people to get involved in the fight.

He added: "A group of us just got together only two weeks ago and out of that came this meeting. We want to take it further and we need people to get on board."

Mr Kerr, an Oswestry town councillor, said a second public meeting would be held at Hermon Chapel on May 4 to further discuss the issue.