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People urged to sign petition over controversial gas drilling

Tests are being carried out in Fylde by a firm exploring a new way of extracting natural gas from underground rocks.
A well is being drilled on land near Kirkham to determine the scale of shale gas reserves there.
The drill at Preese Hall Farm, Weeton

Tests are being carried out in Fylde by a firm exploring a new way of extracting natural gas from underground rocks. A well is being drilled on land near Kirkham to determine the scale of shale gas reserves there. The drill at Preese Hall Farm, Weeton

Dozens of people have signed a petition in a bid to stop controversial shale gas drilling.

Gas company Cuadrilla Resources is investigating sites at Preese Hall, Weeton; Grange Road, Singleton; and Anna’s Road, Westby.

They are using the hydro fracking process, where chemicals are pumped into rocks thousands of feet under the countryside, to dig the first wells to extract shale gas in the UK.

They want to discover if it is suitable to extract natural gas from shale rock, 10,000ft feet below the ground.

The Blackpool and Fylde Green Party claims the process causes pollution and could be dangerous.

Philip Mitchell, chairman of the party, said: “We demand that a ban is placed on all UK shale gas and coal bed methane industry activity, including testing sites.

“This technology has been used at a site of an important groundwater aquifer and there are over 80 further applications which have been applied for around the UK.

“Aquifers are a natural source of our drinking water, and there is risk of catastrophic harm to water resources, communities and the environment from this industry, which may roll out across Lancashire and the rest of the UK.”

Concerns have been fuelled by US documentary Gasland, which shows flames shooting from taps in areas where hydro fracking has taken place.

Some residents in areas where drilling for shale gas is taking place say they have become ill because of pollution by gas and chemicals, according to the documentary.

It has caused massive controversy across the Atlantic where the film won the Sundance Film Festival.

Some environmental campaigners have called for a ban on the extraction of shale gas until potential environmental and human health risks have been fully assessed.

Scores of Fylde residents have already put their names to the petition and the party is calling on concerned locals to sign it.

The Government says gas extraction is subject to thorough checks.

 

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