ANTI-FRACKING campaigners took to the streets of Bolton as part of a national environmental day of action.

About 15 members of Bolton Against Fracking met shoppers on Saturday in Victoria Square to tell them about their campaign and collect signatures for the petition, as part of the Global Frack Down campaign.

Member Darren Pickle – who dressed up as an elephant for the occasion – said they were pleased with the reaction from the Bolton public.

He said: “We collected signatures and got people to send a letter to their MP, registering their displeasure about the fracking bill, which would allow companies to frack under people’s homes without their consent.

“It’s all about raising awareness of the issue. A lot of people are still ignorant about what it is, and there is industry spread information.”

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, means recovering gas and oil from shale rock by drilling deep into the earth, using a high pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals.

Opponents say the practice can lead to earth tremors and the chemicals used could cause cancer, if they contaminate groundwater around the site.

Bolton Against Fracking will hold their next meeting on November 12, at 7pm, at The Kitchen in Great Moor Street.

They will also attend an open meeting, organised by the Bolton Green Party, on October 30, at 7.30pm, in the Bridge Inn in Horwich.