Lorry protest outside Cuadrilla’s fracking site at Preston New Road, 8 March 2019. Photo: Ros Wills
A haulage company has said it will not deliver to fracking companies after a protester climbed onto the cab outside Cuadrilla’s site in Lancashire this morning.
Cuadrilla said the protest was in breach of a High Court injunction granted last year against its site at Preston New Road near Blackpool.
After the protest, the lorry driver said:
“Haselden Plant Services won’t be delivering any machines to Cuadrilla sites, any fracking sites, ever again. I’m not going through this **** **** any more.”
Lancashire Police said the incident happened at about 11am. A spokesperson said:
“One man helped to slow down the lorry. One man got on top of the lorry.”
The spokesperson said the incident ended at about 1.15pm. A 45-year-old man and a 32-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of wilful obstruction of the highway. At the time of writing, they had not been charged and remained in custody. A contraflow on Preston New Road has been lifted and traffic is moving normally.
In a statement, Cuadrilla said:
“Cuadrilla has no objection to peaceful, law-abiding protest. However, today an activist climbed onto the roof of a wagon approaching our shale gas exploration site on Preston New Road causing inconvenience and disruption to road users on the highway.
“Our employees, contractors, and suppliers and the general public using the Preston New Road should be able to go about their lawful business without intimidation and unlawful blockades from activists.
“This activity is a clear breach of a High Court Injunction issued last year, which prohibits climbing onto, or slow walking in front of, vehicles accessing or leaving our site.”
DrillOrDrop report on Cuadrilla injunction ruling at the High Court
- Yesterday, the Blackpool Gazette reported that five anti-fracking protesters had been found not guilty of wilful obstruction of the highway following a lock-on protest outside the Preston New Road site in July 2018. They argued successfully that, despite a contraflow, there had not been a significant effect on traffic flows.
Categories: protest
DRILL OR DROP? 
Those engaging in illegal and extreme protest activities should be locked up. What right do they have preventing this haulage company from going about their lawful business?
Disgraceful.
Yes! Lock up the dissenters! Oh wait, didn’t Judge Altham try that already? And what happened there R8 LMX? The Lord Chief Justice ruled that the sentences were manifestly excessive and released them.
https://drillordrop.com/2018/10/13/mp-asks-government-to-investigate-judge-who-jailed-anti-fracking-protesters/comment-page-1/#comments
But, they didn’t breach an injunction and risk being in Contempt.
How many dissenters have been convicted of contempt? None have even been brought to trial, if they were they would still be judged exactly as before. But yes he’s brave to stand up to them, it is all the more admirable considering the added intimidation of the injunction.
None, yet. Hence the “risk”.
They would not be judged exactly as before. Many minor offences are not prosecuted as the costs and the outcomes do not warrant it. More serious offences will more routinely be prosecuted as (DOH) they are more serious.
Just the same as companies seeking costs against incorrect decisions.
At sometime both will be prosecuted. Like Russian roulette for those who take the risk. I suspect we have heard quite a few clicks already.
A very dramatic and exciting piece of fiction Martin, you should ask for more money. Loved the revolver analogy.
Perhaps you can advise where that might be available Dorkinian?
But thanks for the compliment. I didn’t realise my posts were that valued. Perhaps I should increase the quantity?
Yes, we do realise that antis are really lovely people who are salts of the earth and misunderstood, whilst those who disagree with them are rabid capitalists and climate change deniers wanting to poison young children.
Or, perhaps that is just a con to save having to address the substance?
(Is the lady still to appear at Court charged with assault upon an emergency worker?)
‘Perhaps I should increase the quantity?’ – no thanks…
You clearly don’t understand sarcasm….
I clearly have a sense of humour, Passepartout. (Do you think I should become angry because someone is unable to address the subject so has to imply someone else must be paid money to have a different viewpoint to theirs?)
You should try it. You might even then convince one or two that living off grid is a fun experience.
A sense of humour? Who would have thought it? Why no-one……..
But we’d better ask Passepartout?
R8 LMX What right does an oil and gas company have to cause earthquakes and contaminate the water and threaten and intimidate people ???
These people carnt turn the situation round wether you like it or not .just accept it .causing mayhem to the highway is ridiculous and they should be locked .up .the police just stand there and do nothing .human right do gooders yet again our snowflakes letting people feel free to cause anarchy .believe Greenpeace are paying these protesters
Plenty more companies will take on the contract.
They just put it on a different wagon and drove it in
The court went soft on lock on protesters yesterday and now the mob see the weakness of the law and they jump on it just to rub it on the face of the court injunction.
Sadly Cuadrilla cannot add the word ethical and democratic to their business ( registered off shore ) activities .
I couldn’t agree more. How dare these irresponsible fools prevent a company from causing earthquakes under their properties. They’ve been told it’s no worse than dropping a pineapple on a rabbit and even if some of their houses did shake and crack, don’t they realise we need the plastic to make buckets to bail out our properties which are flooding due to climate change. They should stop being so selfish, I bet they support these thoughtless children striking just because I want to make a few more quid. Of course that will mean noise, pollution, loss of wildlife, contaminated water, poisoned air, accelerating climate change and causing earthquakes but what do they expect? You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. Even if the patient has just had a 12 course banquet and couldn’t eat another thing, we still need to break those eggs…………
An anti without a beard or a man bob!
Must be a mole.
It would appear that men without beards are as effective as men with beards in stopping start up UK fracking companies from ever extracting shale gas from beneath the Fylde.
9 years since Cuadrilla had planning applications passed un opposed and yet still no gas.
Cuadrilla and its partners have burnt through at least £60 million in their Lancashire shale gas operations before even beginning fracking.
The start up shale gas explorer has tapped its shareholders for a further $6 million in recent months after exhausting the funds provided under a deal with Centrica, the British Gas owner.
Investors with or without beards won’t wait forever.
All credit to the surfer and his mate!
Many thanks too.
Nobody was harmed, nobody was seriously inconvenienced, another company won’t be dealing with the nasty fracking industry again and any other companies will do their research before delivering to fracking sites.
Coupled with the serious legal successes against the fracking industry and their dodgy Government enforcers plus the collapse of the value of their backers share prices its been a great couple of weeks!
Thomas would have been well pleased!
Bad laws have to be broken remember thatcbers poll tax. We won that one and we will win again.
Well done that man, slowly we collectively turn the screws on this industry that we don’t need or want , and when we’ve finally broken it and trodden it into the dirt we shall divert our attentions to the plastic producers, the glyphosate sprayers, the GMO producers, electrosmog producers and those [edited by moderator] that cage animals.
So pleased that those with passion are not intimidated by crass injunctions and are willing to make a change. Respect.
Someone who is multi anti!
Not a lot of positivity amongst certain small groups. Life is full of positivity. Shame it is so difficult for some to see.