Deliveries to Rathlin Energy’s East Yorkshire oil and gas exploration site were prevented by protests for a second day this week.
A two-person lock-on protest closed the road to the West Newton well pad from 7.30am-3.30pm today.
Police reportedly left the scene in mid-afternoon. Eye witnesses said the lock-on device was recovered and the road opened. There were no arrests.
On Monday, a campaigner climbed on to the back of a lorry delivering rig equipment. Two people were arrested on suspicion of obstructing the highway and one person for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
Also this week, a person was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and another was arrested but no action was taken against them.
Police officers were filmed on Monday riding on the side of lorries delivering equipment. They said they were trying to stop protesters climbing onto vehicles in lorry-surfing protests.
Rathlin Energy has written to local people that it is mobilising drilling equipment. Drilling the well, to a depth of about 2,000m, will take about eight weeks, the company said.
Categories: Opposition
DRILL OR DROP? 
Big respect to the earth protectors.
Absolutely disgusting behaviour from the police and rathlin security. People are aloud to slow walk as part of peaceful demonstrating . The public is behind the demonstrators. No fracking The police are losing public respect.
These protesters should be ashamed of themselves that’s about all that can be said
I do hope we tax payers are not funding these layabouts via the benefits system Not everyone is ready to freeze to death this winter because the cost of heating our homes is affordable due to fuel shortages the size of the uk will make little to no difference to global warming its all a big con to charge more & these fools are just helping them make more money.
Gas man,
As a tax payer of many years I am more than happy to contribute to the running costs of anti-fracking protests, whether via the benefits system or direct out of my own pocket!
Certainly more happy than I am about funding the thugs and liars from Lancashire Constabulary that I have witnessed at PNR over the last couple of years!
Regarding climate destruction, you need to take a long hard look at yourself and your family, then educate yourself about the danger they and my family are facing over the coming years which you can research for yourself.
Police are losing respect?, Police have to deal with a lot, shown respect by the fanatical protesters. Have you ever heard the full duties of the local constabulary? Picking up body pieces after a car crash, informing loved ones a loved one has died! Slow Walking is legal but completely immoral, lorry surfing is ignorant! Trying to stop a legal practice to continue is immoral, employed police snd security have just as much right to work as as you and i do. They have my full support and i hope the vile name calling and slander does not get them down.
Some Protesters can be bullies with no conscience!
Eli-Goth, please replace the word ‘fanatical’ with ‘dedicated’ if you don’t mind?
We don’t have a problem with individual police officers, except the thugs and liars of course!
We have a problem with the abuse of the Constabulary by politicians and industry!
After all the Community pay the Constabulary wage bill and their primary function is to keep the Community safe!
The oil and gas industry is in terminal decline for humanitarian reasons, to extend it’s existence by misuse of outdated legislation and force of numbers is against the will of the people.
Legal practice??? You need to see the compounding evidence of the longterm environmental damage and the threat both to property and human life through fracking. The evidence is undeniable and these companies know it. The earthquakes caused by this practice get worse and more frequent, also poisoning the underground water in the process. As they know this too, the practice is tantamount to a crime against humanity.
Oh by the way Eli-Goth, as exposed by the national press a couple of months ago, virtually every protest movement has been infiltrated by undercover police. I believe one use they are put to is Agent Provocateur, maybe even enabling injunctions to be put in place.
Regarding legal practice, the Supreme Court has just announced that the decision by the Communities Secretary to enforce fracking on Lancashire was UNLAWFUL because he never considered the effects on Climate Change! That decision should see the industry closed down permanently then how will the Constabulary go about repairing the destroyed relationship with the people of Lancashire and beyond?
Margaret-what are the public behind? Notice you said “is”-the singular. The majority are supportive of legal activity of the drilling companies being facilitated by the police if required.
There is NO FRACKING at this site.
Perhaps it is just too tiresome to check into the reality before you attack the police? (Another arrest for an alleged assault upon a police officer.)
Seems there are quite a bunch of motives for some posters, many removed from the reality of the situations being discussed. Interesting that this was warned against by some antis over a year ago and is now commonplace. At some time the Courts will react accordingly and a few are in for a shock.
Martin Collyer, haven’t you realised the Courts are now acting according to their social conscience and dismissing actions against peaceful environmental protectors?
The corruption in the legal system with regards to Climate Destruction has been fully exposed and defied by true people of conscience!
!
Five people arrested at the site, three of those have been bailed away from the area. It doesn’t look like actions are being dismissed to me.
The Courts do NOT dismiss actions for assault against emergency workers and police, Peter-if there is evidence that supports that.
You carry on exciting others that such action is okay and “peaceful”, but don’t start whinging that the Courts are biased if they do just that. Maybe your conscience won’t be disturbed come that day.
(Have the faeces been cleaned off the entrance to PNR yet?)
True people? No.
Martin. There’s was NEVER any faeces on the entrance to PNR. It was vegan chocolate cake. Cuadrilla were aware of the fact. They chose to whip up animosity on their FB page even though they were told repeatedly that it was cake. Over a month later, they have finally admitted on FB that it was indeed chocolate cake. No apology from them or from all the pro frackers who posted vile comments about protectors. Maybe you, Martin, would now like to apologise for your comment.
One thing this has proved is how easily pro frackers believe all the lies and propaganda churned out by Cuadrilla.
The information that it was chocolate cake was not available to the employees when they turned up at the gate.
Why should Cuadrilla apologise for putting the welfare of their employees first, when there is form for smearing and placing waste at the gates?
John,
Surely the incident should have been investigated correctly before Cuadrilla went crying to the media? Surely the media should have investigated correctly before going to press?
The Establishment are just owned by the Oil and Gas Industry and desperate to continue it’s operation despite the effects of climate destruction it contributes to being exposed more and more weekly.
Cuadrilla’s security staff were present when this occurred as were the PLOs and they were well aware it was cake. Cuadrilla’s amateurish PR people chose to misrepresent this in the hope that they could whip up nastiness from their tame attack dogs in the pro fracking brigade. Cuadrilla’s Face Book page appears to be manned by school children but that would be an insult to school children. Cuadrilla’s immature Face Book replies certainly don’t give the impression of a responsible, professional company. They seem far too interested in point scoring.
Martin,
Did you see the incident regarding the alleged faeces smearing? I doubt it because it never actually happened! Like the alleged smashing of a lorry windscreen within the PNR compound that was also proven to be fabricated.
Just another attempt to ‘stain” the character of environmental protectors by the corrupt fracking industry and their bigoted propaganda machine.
I’m still waiting for a genuine non self defence assault case in England against any 999 worker by any genuine environmental activist to proceed to imprisonment, as far as I’m aware this also has never occurred?
The assaults I have witnessed at PNR, near where I live, have all been carried out by the Constabulary on peaceful environmental protectors, usually the weakest ones!
Anyway Martin it’s really all about whether Climate Destruction is a good thing or a bad thing, obviously you and your kind think it’s good if it may earn you a few quick quid!
Good luck!
Peter K Roberts, if the smashing of the truck window was proven to have been a total fabrication.
Could you please explain how and why an activist was still found guilty of smashing a window of a truck as it was driven off the site on Preston New Road.
The court report is still available from the Blackpool Gazette dated 22/06/2017, which seems a bit strange.
Hi John,
Different incident completely, the one you quote was a truck window cracked by a fist, mine was an attempted stitch up job involving a security chain.
Peter.
Earn a few quick quid!
No, Peter. Might make you feel better but the reality is that I have absolutely no financial motive-other than to see if a new industry may be possible to then contribute taxes towards looking after some of the public services for this country. Somewhat different to the anti Nimbys-concerned about their individual property values and unconcerned about existing ills, such as the mortality rate from fuel poverty.
You may feel you have the moral high ground and make claims about “bigoted propaganda machine” but it rather spoils the message when you attempt your own cottage industry version, based upon fabrication.
So, in a country with Food Banks, and a world with people dying of starvation someone thought it “fun” to smear chocolate cake on the entrance!!!!
Why chocolate cake? What was it supposed to signify??
Certainly no apology for that. Do you expect Cuadrilla workers to analyse such material to check it out first??
Where else was material placed upon an entrance not so long ago?
That is the lamest excuse for antisocial behaviour that I have seen in a long time. Perhaps the antis should consider how this looks to the wider public rather than amuse themselves in such a childish way.
Anarchists rules the UK society these days. If I don’t like or agree with a business I can just block the road and drive it out of business. If I don’t like a referendum result like Brexit I just protest and cause disruption and demand a second vote until the outcome change in my favour.
If people believe that preventing Climate Destruction is their duty, they are certainly both entitled and correct in taking peaceful action, like the thousands of young people have been doing. After all it’s their future that’s at hazard!
Regarding the first Brexit referendum, obviously much deceit was involved on both sides. Once a full honest declaration of what has been negotiated can be revealed to the public, a confirmatory public referendum should take place, no over 65 year olds allowed to vote, minimum 10% majority needed to change the status quo which is STAY in Europe.
[Edited by moderator at poster’s request]
Renewable energy is Climate Destruction…
“Solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of electricity generated than nuclear power plants, according to a Thursday report from the pro-nuclear group Environmental Progress (EP).
The report found that solar panels use heavy metals, including lead, chromium and cadmium, which can harm the environment. The hazards of nuclear waste are well known and can be planned for, but very little has been done to mitigate solar waste issues.”
https://dailycaller.com/2017/07/01/solar-panels-generate-300-times-more-toxic-waste-than-nuclear-reactors/