THERE are plenty of reasons fracking should not go ahead.

1) The value of property which has been fracked under stands a real chance of being devalued. If land under your property has been fracked you may have a problem getting property insurance or face increased premiums. You do not have a say in whether your home/business/farm will be fracked under even if you own land. You will not see a reduction in the cost of your gas bill.

2) Fracking involves pumping huge quantities of water and unnatural chemical compounds at high pressure down drilled vertical and horizontal shafts. The chemicals can leak into aquafers, agricultural land and our water supplies. The water with these chemicals in them will not stay in one place but as with any body of water can leak and poison our environments 3) There are the problems of seismic disturbance resulting in earth tremors and the damage that this can do to your property. Test only drilling was done in the Fylde area resulting in a small earthquake. Imagine if any of us were to suffer the effects of flooding and the risk of fracking chemicals bubbling to the surface. It does not bear thinking about.

4) The increase in heavy trucks to and from fracking sites will add to the congestion and noise of our roads. If you read through the Defra paper you will also see the air quality of the areas surrounding these sites will be affected. The quality of our lives is at risk. Fracking involves the use of water on an epic scale, placing an extra burden on the supply and disposal.

5) Fracking is not just one well but as the drilled shaft and fracked shale in area depletes another well has to be drilled and fracked, and another until we are well and truly fracked. The fracking company moves on having reaped the short term rewards. Any landowner still thinking about allowing test drilling on their land needs to watch “Voices from the Gasfields” on YouTube.

Kathy Wedge

High Legh