Councillor's pledge on fracking

A COUNCILLOR has pledged to keep a close eye on the issue of fracking at Glazebury – despite receiving an assurance that at present there are no plans to press ahead with the activity.
Cllr Paul Campbell (pictured), a member of Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council, has received the assurance in a letter from TESLA Exploration International Ltd.
He said: “I think it right to let local residents know what the current situation is and to reassure them that I will be continuing to keep an eye on this subject.”
Residents of Glazebury were shocked last month when Warrington Borough Council announced that they had been informed by TESLA that they were to carry out a “seismic survey” in the Glazebury area in the autumn, on behalf on behalf of iGas Energy Ltd.
IGas immediately claimed they were not currently seeking seismic data from the area and said the survey was part of a wider plan to map the geological structure of the North West.
Now TESLA has confirmed that at the moment, their client – iGas – has no intention of moving the project forward.
Should the situation change, they have promised to inform Cllr Campbell.
TESLA blame “confusion” between them and the council for incorrect information being released.
Cllr Campbell admitted he had been worried at the prospect of a quiet, rural area being disrupted.
If a survey was carried out and revealed sufficient shale gas in the area, it would lead to further exploration by the process of “fracking.”
He was particularly concerned because the company would not require planning consent to carry out the work.
Warrington North MP Helen Jones and local councillors Matt Smith and Chris Vobe have also voiced their opposition to fracking in the area.
Fracking – or hydraulic fracturing – is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.