Fracking ban lifted: York and North Yorkshire water supply fears

Today Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the impact of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine means securing domestic energy supplies is vital as he ended the moratorium on fracking which had been in place since 2019.

York MP Rachael Maskell spoke in a debate in the House of Commons.

Afterwards she said: “Today in the debate about fracking, I highlighted to the Secretary of State that the exorbitant amount of water required to frack rocks underground simply doesn’t make sense in terms of our current water infrastructure which in many parts of the country includes hosepipe bans and severe water shortages.

“Fracking is an environmental disaster and any amount of Tory spin will not change that. This includes the breaking of their own manifesto pledges to rush into producing more fossil fuels. The answer, clearly, is to accelerate the investment and delivery of renewable energy, which is clean, cheap and quick to install.”

INEOS holds PEDL (Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence) exploration rights for large parts of York, and back in 2018 company bosses told council bosses in York that they wanted to use seismic images and drill wells to check its geology.

In January that year the company’s director Tom Pickering wrote to city councillor Andrew Waller, saying the company was unlikely to survey PEDL 282 - which covers the city centre including the Minster and a lot of the north and west of the city.

However he said it was looking at PEDL 283 - which covers the north of Strensall and much of the Howardian Hills - and could be applying for permission to start surveys in August this year.

A petition set up by Labour's parliamentary candidate for York Outer, Luke Charters, calling on people to oppose drill sites already has nearly 300 signatures.

Labour's parliamentary candidate for York Outer, Luke Charters (Image: Supplied)

Mr Charters has also written to Yorkshire Water to voice his concerns.

In a letter to Yorkshire Water he said: 'On behalf of York residents, I would like to ask a few questions in relation to Yorkshire Water's response:

1. Has Yorkshire Water conducted any analysis on the impact on the availability of water, should fracking commence? This is particularly concerning given the recent hosepipe ban. There are further concerns in relation to water contamination as a consequence of fracking, evidenced by recent scientific studies in the United States.
2. What analysis has Yorkshire Water produced on water quality and water safety as a result of fracking? I urge Yorkshire Water to publish any information they have on this, to ensure users are aware of the potential impacts of fracking in our region.
3. Finally, in the event that planning applications for new sites are filed, can we trust that Yorkshire Water will formally object to any applications?'

By way of response Gavin Sangiovanni, Yorkshire Water corporate affairs director, said: "As companies apply for permission to produce shale gas and hydraulic fracturing we will review our policy and if necessary change this policy to reflect the hazards and risks to our customers and the environment. 

"Our current assessment is that the risks from shale gas production are acceptable, provided they are properly identified in order that appropriate mitigation can be implemented."