An anti-fracking protest camp has been set up near to a proposed exploration site for shale gas in Lancashire.
The No Dash for Gas “Reclaim The Power” camp has positioned itself in the Fylde area close to one of two planned drill sites by energy firm Cuadrilla.
Organisers predict up to 1,000 people will attend the six-day long camp near Little Plumpton to campaign against shale gas extraction in the region by the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Last summer, Reclaim The Power joined other protesters at Balcombe, Sussex, who attracted huge publicity as attempts by Cuadrilla to drill for oil were disrupted over fears it would lead to fracking. A large number of people were arrested as bids were made to block lorries accessing the site.
Cuadrilla believes that Lancashire’s Bowland basin has the potential to become a leading shale gas resource.
It suspended test drilling in June 2011, though, following two earthquakes in the area in April and May of that year, one with a magnitude of 2.3 and the other 1.4, with the epicentre thought to be about 500 metres away from a well in Weeton, Lancashire.
An independent report by experts later concluded the drilling was the probable cause of the tremors but it was due to an “unusual combination of geology” at the well site and was unlikely to be repeated.
Earlier this year Cuadrilla announced it was seeking planning permission to drill, hydraulically fracture and test the flow of gas from up to four exploration wells on two sites at Roseacre Wood, Inskip, and on farmland near Little Plumpton, off Preston New Road.
Councillors at Lancashire County Council are due to make a decision on both applications by November at the latest, with drilling likely to start early next year if approved then and fracking to follow several months later.
Chief executive Francis Egan had said the company had undertaken extensive technical and geological analysis and had decided to focus on just two sites “to allow us to reduce the potential impact on the local area during exploration while still gathering the important information we need to determine how much gas could be recovered”.
He added that Cuadrilla was “committed to being a good neighbour and to talking with the community at every stage of the process”.
Announcing the setting up of the camp off Preston New Road at midday today, Reclaim The Power said campaigners were ready “to take direct action and share skills and knowledge…in support of the local community’s fight against Cuadrilla’s plans to drill for shale gas in Lancashire”.
Hannah Jones, from Reclaim The Power, said: “Blackpool is where the fracking industry started in the UK, and this is where it has to stop. Besides the damage it can cause to water and air locally, fracked gas can be as bad for the climate as coal.
“We need energy that’s sustainable, democratic, and affordable, instead of corporate controlled fossil fuels.”
The group says local residents have handed in 14,000 objections to the county council’s consultation on Cuadrilla’s plans, with a number of Lancashire grandmothers, mothers and children occupying a field near the proposed Preston New Road site since last Thursday.
Tina Louise, of Residents’ Action on Fylde Fracking, said: “The shale gas industry and Cuadrilla in particular have not acted honestly in their dealings with our community and are not to be trusted with the health and well-being of our children.
“We do not want them here and so are gathering to make sure we are heard and we are calling others to help us amplify this. As air and water do not recognise county boundaries, the defence is for everybody in the UK.”
By mid-afternoon around 100 protesters had gathered on farmland which is said to be adjacent to the land of the proposed site.
In a statement issued today, Cuadrilla said: “We believe there is absolutely no requirement and little local support for the protest and the illegal occupation of land being farmed by a local farmer, disrupting his business and family in the process. We understand the landowner is in the process of instructing lawyers to commence legal proceedings to recover possession of his land.
“Lancashire County Council’s consultation process is ongoing concerning our two planning applications for shale gas exploration. This is a thorough, transparent and democratic process which gives people ample opportunity to make their views known to the decision makers in the County Council. There is no democratic mandate for this kind of illegal protest nor for the associated threatened “direct action“ against local businesses.”
A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said: “Police in Blackpool are aware of plans by people opposed to shale gas extraction to hold a camp in the local area.
“In line with their duty to facilitate peaceful protest, the police will seek to work with protesters and local residents with the aim of ensuring any event is safe and peaceful.
“Officers are monitoring the situation and will ensure that the police response is appropriate and proportionate. They are committed to working with the community and will continue to engage with residents through local policing teams.”
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