ENVIRONMENTAL activists have launched a protest outside a Winchester bank over its links to a fracking company.

Winchester Friends of the Earth and the city Green Party waved placards condemning Barclays for supporting shale gas drilling through its Third Energy subsidiary.

Campaigners fear the go-ahead in Yorkshire, where Third Energy is pushing for permission to drill, could set a precedent for the controversial methods to start in Hampshire.

The demo, part of a national campaign, gathered signatures for a petition and encouraged Barclays customers to write letters of objection.

Party activist Jo Holland said the demo was "very positive".

She said: "We're concerned that once this energy production is accepted in one place then it kind of makes it acceptable everywhere else.

"Some people when you try and talk to them on the street just don't want to know, no matter what, that's fine. But lots of people were very interested and they didn't know that this was the case."

Third Energy is at the forefront of efforts to bring fracking to the UK but has not sought permission to drill in Hampshire.

However, licences have been granted for several sites in the county, including land between Kings Worthy and Stockbridge and east of Winchester, between Chilcomb and Beauworth.

Both licences are held by Sussex energy firm IGas.