​Almost 90% of the Stroud District supports a future dominated by electricity powered by wind turbines, accdording to a new survey.

A survey carried out by Ecotricity, in association with Stroud Life, attracted nearly 1,000 votes, with 89.9% answering 'yes' to the question 'should we make 50% of Stroud's electricity from local wind energy?'.

Ecotricity's Stroud 5050 campaign aimed to stimulate debate over the future of power in Stroud and visitors to the Stroud Life website - www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/stroud - cast their votes.

And the company calculated that just 16 windmills would provide enough wind energy to power 50% of the homes in Stroud.

“5050 has given a voice to the silent majority in favour of powering Stroud with wind," said Ecotricity founder Dale Vince.

"The vote was intended to kick-start the debate about our energy future in the Stroud District and demonstrate to the council what people in the area really think."

And he said it was clear more wind turbines were required in the district.

"Ecotricity’s first ever turbine was built right here," Dale added. "Thirteen years have gone by since then and it’s still the only turbine in the district – in the county in fact.

"We all need to be taking more action, and more quickly, as the climate won’t wait. Climate change and energy security are such pressing issues, much more has to be done to enable wind energy in all parts of the country.

"The need for us to harness renewable energy in the UK is clear and compelling. Firstly we have the looming global energy crisis – the world is running out of fossil fuels, our own North Sea is all but depleted, and we rely on increasingly unstable parts of the world for our energy.

"Secondly, we can’t afford to burn fossil fuels anymore, it's the biggest single cause of Climate Change in the UK - and that threatens our ability to live on this planet."

Ecotricity said the survey results echo its experiences in other parts of the country, where there is ‘massive but passive’ support for wind farm plans.

"The Stroud 5050 campaign has proved that Stroud District is no exception, and the public will is there to make a change," a spokeswoman added.