This is Staffordshire: Deadline today for petition against Potteries gas drilling plans

Residents have until the end of today to sign a petition against plans to drill for gas in the Potteries.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council wants to work with a private sector partner to develop proposals to extract coal bed methane (CBM). The authority says CBM will boost the city's economy by providing industry with a stable source of energy.

CBM involves methane being extracted out of coal by pumping water from deep underground.  MORE