British fracking plans irk advocacy group

LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- A British energy sector move toward shale natural gas is a move in the wrong direction and the public is taking notice, a British advocacy group said.

British Friends of the Earth said it was frustrated by a decision by shale gas explorer Cuadrilla Resources to consider a hydraulic fracturing campaign in Lancashire.

Cuadrilla said Monday it was listening closely to the public's reaction to the potential drilling operations in Lancashire. Chief Executive Francis Egan said the engagement with the local community has been "extensive."

Friends of the Earth campaigner Helen Rimmer said in response, however, the public was concerned about the risks of the fledgling shale effort in the country.

"The public is rightly concerned that fracking causes more problems than it solves," she said.

Cuadrilla Resources in March said it believes there are 200 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas in the Bowland basin in Lancashire.

The controversial drilling practice, dubbed fracking, uses trace amounts of chemicals that may be hazardous to human health. Minor tremors were reported in 2012 near Cuadrilla fracking operations.