LONDON, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- British environmental campaigners said Friday they're planning a mass protest against Cuadrilla Resources to express their objecting to hydraulic fracturing.
Advocacy group No Dash for Gas said they were calling for five days of "mass, audacious and creative acts of disobedience" at a drilling site in Balcombe, a town near the southeast coast.
Cuadrilla is conducting an exploratory drilling program in the area. It said it would not employ hydraulic fracturing during its campaign, adding area residents would hardly notice the activity.
Campaigner Sharon James said in a statement Friday her "Reclaim the Power" campaign would send a message to Cuadrilla fracking is not wanted in the community.
"Fossil fuels are not the answer to our energy gap," she said in a statement. "We urge Cuadrilla to stop drilling, get out of Balcombe and drop fracking, fast."
Cuadrilla said it would need another work permit if it plans to use hydraulic fracturing at the site. Critics of the practice worry it could lead to groundwater contamination.
British Prime Minister David Cameron was quoted as saying Thursday by The Guardian newspaper it would be "a big mistake" to abandon fracking. The drilling technology has lead to record-breaking oil and natural gas production in the United States.
No Dash for Gas said their protest would begin Aug. 16.
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