A MOTION calling for the county to be a fracking free zone will be presented to Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) tomorrow (26th February).

Put forward by the Labour group at MCC, the motion calls on the council to welcome efforts for the devolvement of licensing powers for onshore shale gas to Wales and to support the plan to impose an immediate moratorium on fracking in Wales.

The motion notes that a Petroleum Exploration and Development License (PEDL) has been issued for South West Monmouthshire and that a further license is pending for other areas of the county.

Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, said: "The Labour group does not want fracking to take place in Monmouthshire. We do not want it in our countryside or anywhere near someone's home, village or town. Our motion, if successful, will send out a clear message that the council wants Monmouthshire to be a fracking free zone."

Leader of MCC, Peter Fox, said: "The Conservative group agrees with a moratorium on fracking. It is important that a deep understanding of fracking and its implications are gained and a moratorium, which is basically a suspension of activity, enables that to happen."