Rathlin Energy’s West Newton-B well site, 19 April 2020. Photo: Used with the owner’s consent

Rathlin Energy reported this morning that work had begun on constructing the access to its new oil and gas site in East Yorkshire.

The company said work on the 1.5km track to the West Newton B site was expected to take five-six weeks.

The work is subject to “an archaeological watching brief”, Rathlin added.

Research for the company suggested that the West Newton B site could sit on the remains of a medieval village or a much older settlement, dating back to Roman or prehistoric times.

The company said a full archaeological strip, map and record study would take place before work began on site construction. This study usually involves stripping soil from a site. Archaeological features are plotted on a plan and recorded.

Site construction was expected to take five-to-six weeks, Rathlin said. This would be followed by the first stage of drilling – setting the conductor pipe – and then drilling the West Newton B-1 well.

Road closures (marked in red) and diversion (purple) around Rathlin Energy’s new well site at West Newton B near Burton Constable. The other section marked in red is for the company’s other local well site at West Newton A

Pasture Lane, one of the roads leading to the start of the access track, has now closed, under road closures agreed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the company added.

Rathlin confirmed in April 2020 that pre-construction work was underway. It said today that additional land drainage and two water monitoring boreholes had now been installed.

• Well testing at Rathlin’s other East Yorkshire site, West Newton A, would recommence when required personnel and equipment were available, the company said today. The test, which began in August 2019, was suspended when oil, as well as the expected gas, was found.