Balcombe anti-fracking trial starts on Monday 24 March
Five anti-fracking campaigners are due to go on trial on Monday 24 March at Brighton Magistrates’ Court after being arrested during a peaceful protest over Cuadrillas plans to test drill for shale oil in the Sussex village of Balcombe.
The peaceful protest last August highlighted widespread opposition to Cuadrillas plans to use fracking - hydraulic fracturing to extract shale oil in Balcombe.
Last summer, Sussex Police arrested 126 people during the anti-fracking protests in Balcombe, which included the five who will appear in court on Monday.
All of the five, including Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, deny charges of obstructing the public highway and of failing to comply with conditions imposed by a senior police officer.
Fracking is a controversial process where a mixture of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground, under high pressure, to force gas from rock layers.
Cuadrilla has been carrying on exploratory drilling at Balcombe to see if the area has oil and gas bearing rocks.
"Experts are clear that 60 to 80 per cent of unexploited fossil fuels will have to remain in the ground to avoid the worst of climate change".(1)
Fracking for shale gas and oil, which has proved uneconomic in the US, will neither increase energy independence nor reduce fuel bills.
Caroline said in her recent blog on this issue, Working to address the threat of climate change has been a priority for me throughout my political life.
I know, too, that this is very important to a large number of my constituents, because so many of them have written to me about the environmental risks posed by fracking, and the urgency of climate change.
Read more at: http://www.carolinelucas.com/media.html/2014/03/21/my-trial
Notes to editors
1. World Energy Outlook 2012 http://www.iea.org/topics/climatechange/