A SERIES of meetings are being set up to inform Cotswold residents of the possibility that fracking is on its way to the area.

Dr Jonathan Whittaker, a Cirencester dentist who has carried out extensive research into fracking, will be chairing the meetings and presenting concerned people with the relevant facts and information.

He said: “My planned series of talks are not party political. They are intended to purely inform and offer positive alternatives.”

The process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) involves drilling deep into the earth to release natural shale gas.

The Cotswolds could become one of the country’s newest fracking sites if the government successfully auctions off its fracking licenses for the south of England next March.

This area has become cited as a fracking haven due to the numerous coal deposits that run through the hills and the proximity of the Cotswold Water Park to provide a large water supply.

Speaking to the Standard last week, Dr Whittaker said: “We’ve got six months to actually get organised. If people want to stop fracking, they have to stop it before it starts.

“The only way to stop this is for the community to be against it.”

The first fracking meeting will be held in the Bingham Hall on Friday, September 27 between 7pm and 10pm.