A RECENT government survey shows that public support for fracking is at an all-time low of 13 per cent.

Opposition has reached a record level of 36 per cent.

That leaves around half of the UK population on the fence with 22 per cent of those having never heard of fracking. How can people not have heard of fracking?

York has yet to experience the physical presence of the fracking industry.

Currently it is someone else’s problem, perhaps explaining why so many people remain ambivalent towards it. But this ambivalence will cost the communities and landscape of York dear, because fracking is arriving in York as early as next year.

York and its outer villages are covered by two fracking licence areas; PEDL 146 owned by IGas and PEDL 282 owned by Ineos.

Neither company has made a formal application for planning permission yet, but I understand, following a conversation with York Outer MP Julian Sturdy’s office, that he contacted the Oil and Gas Authority earlier this year and discovered that both companies do have future plans which include drilling vertical and horizontal wells, collecting new seismic data and carrying out flow testing within the next five years; all a precursor to fracking. The locations of wells are yet to be revealed.

If you love where you live, then I urge you in the strongest possible way to find out what fracking will mean for your community. Then, email your concerns immediately to your MP.

Anne Dransfield, Skelton, York