Equipment taken off Preston New Road fracking site

Protesters line the road near the fracking site in Preston New Road Pic: Helen Rimmer

There will be no more fracking at the Preston New Road site before a planning deadline at the end of next month.

Cuadrilla has confirmed equipment is being removed from the shale gas site in Little Plumpton.

Fracking was suspended at the site after a record breaking seismic event on August 26 which was recorded at 2.9ml.

More than 100 people are understood to have lodged complaints about damage to their homes following the quake.

Planning permission for exploration at the site runs out on November 30.

A Cuadrilla spokesman confirmed the company plans to begin exploration of a second horizontal well ‘in the next few weeks’.

Chief Executive Officer Francis Egan explained: “Our second horizontal shale well was partially fractured in August and I am pleased that we are moving to flow test it in the next few weeks.

“We believe that this will further demonstrate the huge commercial opportunity here.

However, nothing will be done before the November 30 deadline.

A review of seismic activity at the Little Plumpton site is underway and will be published in due course.

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