Green Party fears fracking 'go ahead' in town

Despite the drilling block announced in Lancashire, the Greens fear that Warrington planners could soon approve the controversial gas drilling technique which they believe can pollute water courses, contaminate land and impact on the health of residents.

Party members have visited Woolston Protection Camp, which is adjacent to the M6 junction 21, to show their support to protesters, who are opposing IGas's test drilling at the site.

"I think the Warrington site is at high risk of getting approval for going into production if test drilling is successful because some of the stated reasons for planning refusals in Lancashire are harder to claim here," said party member Mike Wass.

"Traffic, noise and airborne pollution are harder to claim in the Warrington case because the site is on a motorway junction so the relative deterioration in environmental factors is less."

But the party is claiming the surroundings of the site do not make the proposed fracking 'any less dangerous' and that the fracking scheme will use 'vast amounts of water, dangerous chemicals and produce huge levels of waste'.

Protestors at the Woolston site have said they believe they have not yet been evicted, despite an order being granted, because the developers are not yet ready to start test drilling.

They fear they will be moved out when drilling begins and that they will not be allowed back to continue their protests once work starts.

Party leader Steph Davies has quoted a recent Government report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that has 'predicted' that houses values could plunge if within one mile of a fracking site and raised her concern for the potential of insurance costs increasing for properties within a five mile radius.

"This is clearly an issue that is going to have a major impact for local residents in terms of health and financially – both Warrington North and Warrington South would be affected," she added.