Lancashire fracking protest: Anti-frackers set to hold climate rally this weekend

Members of Frack Free Lancashire will be joined by NGOs, speakers, green groups, MPs and campaign groups from across the country.

It comes after three anti-fracking campaigners who had been jailed for protesting were released on Wednesday following a high court appeal.

A spokesperson for the protest group said: “We are looking forward to the event on Saturday, where we will welcome our friends and colleagues from across the country to stand with our community now fracking has reportedly begun.

“The event has been buoyed by the amazing news that our friends’ appeal in the High Court was successful and they have since been freed from HMP Preston.”

The three campaigners released from jail will join the rally to speak out against fracking.

Last week Cuadrilla was given the go-ahead to start work at Preston New Road in Little Plumpton following a failed High Court bid by campaigners to block fracking due to safety concerns.

The company website states: “We have started to hydraulically fracture the shale rock adjacent to the first of our two horizontal shale gas wells at the Preston New Road exploration site. The UK Government has granted final consent for us to hydraulically fracture both wells.

“After hydraulic fracturing we will then test the flow rate of natural gas from the shale.”

Speakers at the National Climate Crisis Rally include Friends of the Earth’s chief executive Craig Bennett, Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron and former special representative for Climate Change at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office John Ashton.

The rally takes place this Saturday from 11am at Maple Farm at Preston New Road.