Investigative journalist and environmental writer. Specialising in UK onshore oil and gas, fracking and the reaction to it.
24th March 2014 The trial of the MP Caroline Lucas and four other anti-fracking campaigners is due to begin at midday today at Brighton Magistrates Court. Dr Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, Ruth Potts, of Totnes, Ruth Jarman, of Hook, Sheila Menon, of London, and Josef Dobraszczyk, of […]
Anti-fracking campaigners mark the start of Balcombe protest trial of Caroline Lucas and 4 others. The trial is expected to last all week.
23rd March 2014 According to documents seen by The Guardian, the chair of the Environment Agency, Lord Smith, offered last year to speed up a permit application by Cuadrilla. He also offered to intervene with West Sussex County Council on Cuadrilla’s planning application at Balcombe and identify further […]
22nd March 2014 Cuadrilla’s latest planning application for Balcombe fails to meet planning policies, lacks key information, risks harm to residents and the environment and has no social licence – so said a group of Balcombe villagers this week.
21st March 2014 This week there were five court cases listed that arose from last year’s anti-fracking protests outside Cuadrilla’s oil exploration site at Balcombe. Here’s a summary of what happened with links to court reports.
21st March 2014 A veteran environmental campaigner who walked with his aunt’s springer spaniel in front of a lorry delivering to Cuadrilla’s Balcombe drilling site was found guilty of obstruction this morning – even though the policeman who arrested him said the case should be dropped.
March 21st 2014 Balcombe Parish Council has submitted a formal objection to Cuadrilla’s planning application to flow test its exploration oil well. This was agreed unanimously at an extra-ordinary meeting on March 8th. The final document is now on the council’s website. Click here to view.
March 20th 2014 Simon Welsh, the poet arrested for singing outside the gate of Cuadrilla’s oil exploration site in Balcombe, explained in verse this afternoon why he thought he had done nothing wrong. Mr Welsh, 34, of High Street, Balcombe, went into the witness box at Brighton Magistrates […]
The judge at the trial of Simon Welsh, the poet arrested while singing at the Balcombe anti-fracking protests, has ruled there is a case to answer and the hearing should continue. Mr Welsh, 34, of High Street, Balcombe, denies he failed to comply with a condition on protesting […]
DRILL OR DROP? 