Oil and gas companies will “pile in” with fracking plans all over the country to exploit a legal loophole if a North Yorkshire scheme gets the go-ahead, a Labour MP has warned.

Alison Hume represents the village of Burniston, where Europa Oil & Gas is seeking permission for a lower-volume frack, called a proppant squeeze.

She described the area, on the Yorkshire heritage coast and near the North York Moors national park, as the “fracking frontline”.

She told DrillOrDrop:

“As MP for Scarborough and Whitby, I am completely opposed to Europa Oil and Gas’s application to frack for gas in Burniston, on the edge of the North York Moors.

“If this project is permitted to go ahead, oil and gas companies will pile in with planning applications all over the U.K to exploit this loophole.”

The legal loophole allows lower-volume fracking operations, like Europa’s proppant squeeze. Only higher-volume hydraulic fracturing is prevented by the current moratorium in England.

For the past five years, anti-fracking campaigners have called for lower-volume fracking also to be outlawed.

Ms Hume told us the government’s promised ban on fracking must be extended to lower volume operations.

She said:

“I continue to hold meetings with colleagues in Westminster to ensure the so-called ‘proppant squeeze’ is included in the forthcoming ban on fracking.”

Earlier this month, she hosted discussions on the subject at the Labour Party conference.

She added:

“A parliamentary petition from Burniston residents has now reached 10,000 signatures, meaning the Government will now publish a written response.” (DrillOrDrop article)

“Next weekend [Saturday 25 October 2025], I am hosting another “Ask Alison” community meeting with residents and councillors to discuss this issue.” (Link to meeting details)

The Burniston application is expected to be decided by North Yorkshire Council’s planning committee by the end of this year.