AFTER explorative drilling was carried out in Bromley ealier this year, Bromley Friends of the Earth have been warning locals of the dangers of fracking.

In March the Department of Energy and Climate Change issued a licence to Northdown Energy for drilling exploration that affected areas of the borough, in particular Orpington.

This is often seen as the first step towards fracking.

Bromley Friends of the Earth were canvassing residents in The Mall precinct off Bromley High Street on October 19, giving them the chance to raise their concerns.

Ray Watson, Secretary of Bromley Friends of the Earth, said: "It is vital residents are kept informed so that they can assess the potential risks of chemicals and huge amount of water being used by exploration companies.

"The Government say they will regulate the industry to make fracking safer but they cannot make it safe.

"Meeting Bromley residents demonstrated many have concerns about fracking and are keen to know more - they fully understand the threat.

"They know that drilling and exploration companies are not spending all this money for no reason at all."

Fracking is the controversial process used to extract shale gas from thousands of metres below the Earth's surface.

A mixture of chemicals, sand and water is injected deep underground at high pressure to fracture the rocks and release the gas.