RESEARCHERS are testing wind speeds on quarryland near Wareham as a possible location for a wind farm producing environmentally-friendly electricity.

Sustainable energy company Your Energy will be running tests at East Stoke over the next two years before deciding whether to draw up plans for a wind farm.

Wind farms are seen as a way forward in meeting modern society's demand for electricity as pressure grows to find a solution to global warming.

Operating just nine turbines saves a staggering 39,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere per year - enough to fill 9,400 hot air balloons.

A single 1.5 megawatt wind turbine can produce enough electricity to supply 1,000 homes and there are currently 1,030 turbines operating around Britain.

Herbert Lindlahr, South West development manager for Your Energy said: "We are trying to educate people about wind energy - initially people are positive and all for it but not in their back yard - we are coming across this attitude all over the country.

"People have no idea about wind farms and we are trying to show them the difference between fact and rumour.

"Wind farms are not noisy and birds migrating from Africa don't fly straight into the machines but around them. We don't put any structures on the flight paths of migrating birds anyway to be on the safe side."

More information about wind power is available at www.bwea.com and at website www.yes2wind.com.