Wooden tower built on road to Third Energy’s fracking site at Kirby Misperton, 30 October 2017. Photo: Kirby Misperton Protection Camp
Opponents of Third Energy’s plans to frack a well in North Yorkshire blocked the road either side of the site entrance early this morning with wooden platforms.
Protesters, who are on top of the bird-table style structures, are aiming to prevent deliveries and the removal of equipment from the site at Kirby Misperton.
Third Energy has said it was ready to begin fracking the KM8 well from last Thursday (26 October 2017). Since then, reports of the expected start date for fracking have varied from three days to three weeks.
The workover rig, which had been preparing the well, was taken down on Thursday but is still on the site.
Kirby Misperton Protection Camp, which is trying to prevent Third Energy’s operation, said this morning:
“It is believed that Third Energy were hoping to have removed the workover rig at the end of last week, in order to make space for the fracking equipment.”
Wooden platform on the road to Third Energy’s fracking site at Kirby Misperton, 30 October 2017. Photo: North Yorkshire Police
An occupant of one of the platforms, called Jag, said:
“It’s a sad indictment of the world today that we have to go to these lengths to prevent the government from pushing fracking upon us. There’s no public support for fracking, the evidence of its toxicity and harm is clear.”
North Yorkshire Police have closed the road.
A statement from the force said the platforms were erected at about 3am. Superintendent Alisdair Dey said:
“I know that protest activity has had a significant impact on the local community, particularly over the last few weeks. We are doing all we can to make sure residents can go about their daily lives safely and without disruption.
“Local neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs will continue to be active in Kirby Misperton and surrounding villages, addressing any concerns about the impact of protest activity.”
Update
Two people were later arrested. More details as we get them.
Categories: Opposition
DRILL OR DROP? 
Sherwulfe-thanks for your comments, but sorry they are a bit wide of reality.
You may have forgotten that I have posted I spent my life involved in agriculture. I have been deeply involved in the equine industry so I am familiar with good owners and bad owners. I like horses, especially on my plate in a Paris restaurant with a nice Beaujolais-(joke-well, not really. It’s very nice.) The planning applications clearly stated all waste would be composted at the rear of the site, but what people do when they have obtained permission they required is simply up to them if no one is willing to enforce. Yes, they do have the staff, but they are pretty inadequate at enforcement. They could easily routinely write to owners and remind them of the law, but they do not. When they visit the sites (very infrequently) they could bother to check if there is any sign of waste material. If not-where is it? Yep-burnt. If the owner says it has been removed, they could insist of verification. Modern technology would enable this all to be pretty simple, and automated, but the public sector seem to have a big problem with using technology, so it just doesn’t happen. (NHS still fax from one site to another!) If they are pushed, their final gem is to say a private prosecution is the best option.
Set up a register, send them regular circulars, warn of snap inspections to verify and consequences of non conformance. Pretty simple, and would probably be self funding if the consequences were aligned properly.
Anyway, sorry to burden you with such tales. Off to let the dog out now, and trust he is not overcome with horse “vapours”.(Perhaps Santa will get me a drone, and I can then film these modern country pastimes.)
No problem, Martin. When something is valid and someone needs help people work together.
Phones have good video and drones can be hired. It’s a case of how far do you want to go? No one wants dirty emissions to spoil their environment and destroy their right to enjoy the place they call home.
This is a video of Joe Corre and Vivian Westwood and young chap outside No. 10 after having been refused to be able present a letter to Teresa May objecting to fracking. Is she scared of a letter?
The video discusses the coming Ineos injunction court case and that it is written so as to prevent anyone talking about it or even asking for a copy of it without being interrogated drowned in legalise threats and criminalised and treated abominably?
We can see from this what the injunction really means to us all.
It’s little more than a fascist gagging order that uses the police in a George Orwell thought police like role fully under Ineos control.
In effect it steals our police force from us and hands it over to Ineos on a plate and they will use that power like we have never seen in this country before, it will be the end of free speech, free protest and free thought. It is nothing less than the end of democracy here and hello fascism.
How any sane person could support or even draw up such an anti democratic injunction defies rational logic, it should have been put down before it became proposed the first time.
One thing is dead certain, it will spell the end of this website for sure.
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Paul or Ruth I’d consider a stronger policy of removing activists that liken the actions of our largest private UK company to fascism!
I think the obvious reply is to see if Ruth can help get this injunction in the public domain. Fascim’s definition includes “a form of radical authoritarian nationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and control of industry and commerce” . The filmed discussion begs some strong questions about the nature and extent of the powers that could be granted by the injunction. PhilC’s alarm could be justified (maybe without the nationalism bit). Let’s see.
As you put yourself about as a mover and shaker in all this GBH (i.e. that fracking is good for the UK) I find your aggression and blanket assumptions about all those ‘activists’ who oppose your views, and the crocodile tears shed for the public who will stand to lose out if we don’t get fracking onshore, to be highly questionable. What right do you think you have to consider yourself an ‘influencer’ on legal, political and lobbying issues?
Lets have a look at the ever growing list of epithets and insults peeny has lowered against protectors of the environment shall we? It’s a long list:
Terrorists
Extremists
Communists
Socialists (not the same thing)
Layabouts
Swampies
Mafia
Jobless
Smelly
Mentally weak
Paid by Putin
Paid by North Korea
Paid by Renewable Activists (??!!)
Leftists
Greenies
Grannies
Nanas
NIMBYS (often not spelled properly)
Hateful
Morons
Liars
Idiots
And on and on and on in any nasty way the ohandgee epithet dictionary has in the favoured hate speech addendum.
So complain away peeny, f you don’t like the epithetical heat, stay out of the solar powered furnace.
Why have other countries banned fracking? An oft repeated question I know, but I still haven’t had an answer from Martin or GBK.
Oh yes you have Paula! (Nearly panto season.) You either haven’t read the answer or ignored it. Don’t see why you ask the question if that is going to be the case. But, it’s your choice.