Some 200 residents of Balcombe, West Sussex, met on Wednesday of last week to oppose shale gas drilling.
Mark Miller, chief executive of fossil fuel giant Cuadrilla, was given a hostile reception when he tried to make the case for bringing “fracking” technology to the region. Only one villager spoke in his favour.
Fracking in the US has been linked to serious contamination of groundwater and drinking water.
All fracking activity in Britain is currently suspended after the only operational rig in the country—run by Cuadrilla near Blackpool—was blamed for a series of earthquakes.
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