A drilling rig to explore for shale gas has arrived at a controversial fracking site in Lancashire in an early hours operation.
Developer Cuadrilla said it was “very pleased” to take delivery of the equipment, which is set to be fully constructed next month on land at Preston New Road in Little Plumpton, Fylde.
But environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth said the firm had acted “under cover of darkness” in the face of local opposition while anti-fracking protesters from Reclaim the Power later blocked the entrance to the site on Thursday.
Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla, said: “We are very pleased to have taken delivery of the drilling rig to our shale gas exploration site.
“The drilling of the first horizontal exploration wells into UK shale rock will be an important milestone in unlocking a vital new source of natural gas for the
country.
“With the decline of North Sea gas and our ever increasing reliance on gas imports, including shale gas imported from the US, developing an indigenous source of natural gas is critical for UK energy security, our economy, jobs and the environment.
“We are proud as a Lancashire company to be at the forefront of that effort.”
The site was refused planning permission by Lancashire County Council in 2015, but permission was later granted following an appeal and a planning inquiry.
In April, campaign groups lost a High Court action to overturn the decision.
Cuadrilla said it plans this year to drill two of the four horizontal shale gas explorations wells it has planning permission for.
Polly Steiner, Friends of the Earth’s north west regional campaigner, said: “Democracy hasn’t counted for much in Lancashire and we won’t just lie down and be a test case for an industry that has been stopped around the UK and the world due to the risks.
“A piece of machinery may be on site but the only thing that’s changed is opposition will get stronger as the community vows to keep fighting.”
She continued: “Despite the best efforts of the industry to convince us otherwise, two-thirds of people in Lancashire are still against fracking.
“We know that it’s too late for it to even be viable as a bridging technology, and it is deeply unpopular because it will be a bad deal for Lancashire.
“Friends of the Earth is standing with the people of Lancashire to oppose fracking and call instead for investment in the industries of future – technologies that will bring jobs – and meet the challenge of climate change.”
Reclaim the Power said four protesters were locked in their cars at the site entrance with their arms secured in concrete and metal tubes.
One of the protesters stated: “We have taken action today because fracking will contaminate our drinking water, pollute the air we breathe and yet provide hardly any jobs for local people because one third of the workforce will come from the USA and most of the rest will be brought in from other parts of the UK.”
The action is part of the group’s Rolling Resistance campaign which aims to disrupt work at the Lancashire fracking site every day in July.
Superintendent Richard Robertshaw, of Lancashire Police, said: “As a result of Cuadrilla’s decision to carry out deliveries in the early hours of this morning, a policing operation was put in place to ensure safety and to minimise disruption to the local community, particularly given recent increased protester activity at the Preston New Road site which is still ongoing.
“A contraflow has been in place on the road for the past two days due to protesters climbing on top of seven trucks, four of which were moved on successfully during this morning’s operation. Police are still currently dealing with the other three.
“Our aim as always is to ensure is a consistent and co-ordinated policing response and ensure a balance between the rights of people to peacefully protest, together with the rights of the wider public, including local businesses, to go about their lawful activities.
“We aim to prevent, where possible, crime and disorder, but if it does occur we will provide an effective, lawful and proportionate response.”
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