Day of action against ‘fracking’ - London and Hesketh Bank

by Sunny Hundal
November 3, 2011 at 9:30 am

At 5.30am yesterday morning, nine members of anti-fracking network ‘Frack Off’ halted work at Cuadrilla Resources drilling site in Hesketh Bank.

They ran on to the fracking site and climbed up the 30-meter high drilling rig using climbing equipment. Two of the climbers were later given cups of tea by the workman at the drill as they were sat on top of the drill. [short video of the action]

The actions coincided with the publication of Cuadrilla Resources, pioneers of hydraulic fracturing in the UK’s final report on earthquakes. The report confirmed that their test well did cause the earth-tremors in Blackpool earlier this year.

The morning action was meant to set the stage for a bigger action planned later in the day.

Nearly a hundred activists staged a ‘frack mob’ outside a hotel in London with gas masks, protective suits, and noise makers in the afternoon.

They were protesting at the £1,500-a-ticket Shale Gas Environmental Summit, which they argue that the event is a blatant piece of ‘Greenwash.’

Hydraulic Fracturing, or ‘fracking’ is a controversial method of natural gas extraction, in which a mixture of water, sand and chemicals is injected into the ground at high pressure, cracking shale rock and releasing the gas.

It has been the subject of much contention due to numerous reports linking the method to water contamination, health problems and earthquakes. The industry is in its infancy in the UK, and there are plans for up to 800 wells in Lancashire alone.

Frack Off is a national grassroots anti-fracking network who launched their website by unfurling a banner 500 feet up Blackpool tower earlier this year.