BRITAIN is facing an energy crisis.

We can't go on relying on Russian gas and oil. We must become as self-sufficient as possible.

So we understand why the government is so keen on fracking. There are, potentially, huge reserves of shale gas beneath these islands. At the very least, as Ryedale MP Kevin Hollinrake says, they could provide a 'stepping stone', meeting our energy needs until we can develop cleaner, greener alternatives.

Like many others, however, we remain unconvinced that fracking represents the way forward, even in the short term.

It isn't just that this is yet another fossil fuel that will contribute to climate change.

What really worries us is the potential for localised environmental damage.

We've all heard the horror stories from the United States about gases leaking into the water table and polluting water supplies.

We do not want that here.

Mr Hollinrake admits that if we are to embrace fracking, it must be cautiously - with stringent regulations and supervision in place.

He has just returned from a fact-finding trip to the US state of Pennsylvania, which has itself suffered environmental problems because of fracking.

US regulators he met admitted they probably jumped in too quickly, while they were still 'wet behind the ears'.

But lessons can be learned from their experience, he believes. The most important of these: any fracking wells in North Yorkshire must have expert inspectors 'crawling all over them'.

Our view - and it is one shared by many in North Yorkshire, though by no means all - is that we still know too little about the risks.

We shouldn't countenance fracking while there remains any chance at all that our beautiful county could be blighted by a process we still don't fully understand.