A Government minister with responsibility for fracking suggested in a private meeting that the innovative gas drilling process could cause houses’ walls to shake.
Energy Minister Michael Fallon joked that drilling in comfortable counties to the south of London would disrupt the lives of media commentators who have been agitating for fracking in other parts of the country. Mr Fallon’s comments came as exploratory drilling began at a site in Balcombe, West Sussex, despite anti-fracking protests by local people and activists from across the UK.
The technique, which involves fracturing rocks deep underground with water and chemicals to extract gas, has dramatically cut energy bills in the US, and Mr Fallon has previously indicated he hopes it can do the same in Britain.
