ANTI-fracking campaigners are holding a meeting next week ahead of energy giants Ineos heading into town.

The petrochemical giant completed a series of consultation meetings across East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire in the summer after acquiring two licences to frack the central belt, despite a moratorium on the practice in Scotland until 2017.

It is now moving into a second phase of consultation with communities covered by the licences, with drop-in exhibitions about fracking shale gas.

The next one takes place on November 18 in Torrance and news of the move has sparked anti-fracking campaigners into action.

A meeting will be held in Torrance community centre, on School Road, at 7.30pm on Monday after being organised in just two weeks by Torrance resident Ruth Dunster.

She is passionate about the countryside around Torrance and said she was 'very worried' about the potential environmental and health implications of the controversial practice.

She said: "The first I heard of it was when I got a flyer through my door from Ineos a couple of weeks ago.

"I'm not really an activist. I read the papers and watch the news and I have my opinions but I've never done anything like this before. I'd heard of fracking but didn't know much about it. I've been researching it and I'm very worried."

Ruth said she had made contact with other anti-fracking groups - including Don't Frack the Briggs - and was working closely with Frack off From Lennoxtown.

She said she wanted to make sure everyone had the facts about the possible implications of fracking, ahead of Ineos visiting the village with the drop-in exhibition.

Ruth, a researcher who has lived in Torrance for two years, has also started a petition at change.org calling on Energy Minister Fergus Ewing to ban fracking in Scotland.

She hopes the new group - Torrance Fracking Say No - can map out a plan of action after Monday's meeting.

Ineos has a licence to potentially frack a 127 square mile site, covering Shotts, Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch.

It has previously warned the future of its Grangemouth site was "unknown" after 2030 when their contract for importing shale gas from the US runs out.

The company, which employs 1300 people, wants to develop its own supply from Scottish sites and said the move could create "tens of thousands" of jobs, revolutionise failing industries and "transform" communities.

Ineos director Tom Crotty has said the extraction of shale gas by the hydraulic fracturing of underground rock is emotive and "a politically difficult issue" but added that the company would be rigorous in its consultation.

Ineos previously offered landowners and homeowners a share of £2.5billion for hosting fracking sites.

The fracking sites would be up to 4.5km underground.