NYMPSFIELD has declared itself a ‘toxin free community’ after more than three quarters of residents said they would be opposed to fracking or waste incineration taking place in the village.

Voting in a local referendum organised by environmental campaigner Jojo Mehta, 78 per cent of villagers said they wanted to be free from fracking and incineration pollution.

Of the village’s 156 households only a handful failed to respond to the two questions posed in the referendum, putting turnout at an impressive 94 per cent.

Over the last month or so eco-activist Jojo has been going door-to-door with her survey asking residents aged 16 and over whether they would like their land and roads to be frack free and/or incineration pollution free.

Against a backdrop of enthusiastic Government support for fracking and plans for a mass burn incinerator six-miles away at Javelin Park, villagers voted overwhelmingly against the two technologies, with only 4 per cent surveyed saying they were in favour of both of them.

Jojo said the results, which were announced at Nympsfield Fayre on Saturday, send out a strong anti-fracking and anti-incineration message that is all the more credible because it represents the democratic will of the local people.

She said the idea to hold a referendum was borrowed from climate campaigners who attended the protest against fracking in Balcombe earlier this year.

The small village in West Sussex declared itself toxin free following a survey by activists and Jojo was keen for her own village to do the same.

Nympsfield will now be listed alongside Balcombe on the non-partisan ToxinFreeCommunity.org website, which any community, from a single street to a village, can appear on provided its residents have been consulted and expressed their opposition to fracking via a referendum.

"A Toxin Free Community declaration works in two ways – both as a deterrent to industries that aren’t welcome, and as a beacon to those looking for healthy places to live," said Jojo.

“It shows we value our communities and landscapes, and care about our families’ health and that of our neighbours.”

She added: “Government has been promoting fracking without communicating the real risks or asking our opinion.

“So in Nympsfield, as in the Sussex village of Balcombe last year, we decided to ask each other instead.

“It’s been a heartwarming process – we’ve had loads of conversations, been invited in for cups of tea and learned a lot about Nympsfield and the amazing diversity of people that make up our village, most of whom have been extremely welcoming, whatever their views.

“And the great thing is that hearing all the residents of a community actually works – it gives the community a voice.

“In Balcombe last year, the drillers had to leave without fracking and over 180 communities in Australia have likewise kept themselves toxin free by using this same strategy.”