Ministers have been urged to close a 'loophole' in the fracking ban after plans for a 'mini fracking' site in Burniston, North Yorkshire, were rejected by the local council. The proposal by Europa Oil and Gas sparked outrage among campaigners and residents, leading to its refusal last month. The company claimed the site could extract at least 41 billion cubic feet of gas, enough to power 130,000 homes, and has announced its intention to appeal the decision, asserting that mini fracking is 'completely safe'.
Campaigners Call for Action
Anti-fracking activists are now lobbying the government to close what they describe as a loophole in the existing fracking moratorium. The ban, effectively implemented in 2019 following a 2.9-magnitude earthquake near a Lancashire site, does not explicitly cover smaller 'mini fracking' operations. Several such projects are progressing through England's planning system, including sites in West Newton, East Yorkshire, and Wressle, North Lincolnshire.
Supporters Defend Mini Fracking
Proponents of mini fracking argue that there has been no evidence of seismic tremors at these smaller sites. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage pledged to introduce a radical cheap-energy policy, which would include greenlighting fracking. Farage emphasised that cheap energy must be central to any industrial revival, coupled with a dramatic welfare clampdown to save money and encourage employment. When asked if this would involve fracking—paused by the Conservatives and halted by Labour—he responded affirmatively, stating, 'Yeah, I won't quite make it compulsory, but the North Lincolnshire field—up under the Humber towards Doncaster, in an area with a history of extractive industries—we can have that operational within nine months. Jackdaw (gas field) in the North Sea, within 12 weeks.'
