ANTI-FRACKING campaigners are calling on Ryedale householders to reject a Government “bribe”.

Yesterday the Prime Minister Theresa May announced plans to give tax revenues to residents affected by the industry. Previously the Government had proposed giving the money to community trusts and councils to spend on community projects.

The Government has not announced how much households could receive, but it is believed it could be between £5,000 and £20,000.

Frack Free Ryedale appealed to communities likely to be affected by fracking to oppose the plans.

One of its members, district councillor Di Keal, said: “This is such an obvious ploy by the Tory party, led by pro-fracker Theresa May, to try and buy support for this hugely damaging industry.

“While the money may sound attractive to some hard-pressed families it will not even scrape the surface in terms of compensating for the huge fall in house prices that would follow in the wake of fracking.

“All local people in the vicinity of exploited wells will also face the damage and disruption caused by lorry journeys associated with the process, the pollution risks and damage to agriculture and tourism.

“North Yorkshire is a beautiful county that relies heavily on tourism and agriculture, both of which face irreparable damage if fracking is allowed to go ahead.”

In May, North Yorkshire County Council approved the first fracking licence in the UK since 2011 to Third Energy for a site in Kirby Misperton near Malton against strong local opposition.

Sue Gough, who lives near the site, said: “This is a cynical attempt by the Tories to bribe local people to accept fracking by offering them hard cash.

“If Third Energy is allowed to frack in Ryedale it will open up the floodgates to all the other companies who are waiting in the wings to move into North Yorkshire and will bring about the widespread industrialisation of the county – we need to continue to oppose the industry and persuade people to see through this blatant bribe.”

Theresa May was speaking ahead of a consultation on the £1 billion shale wealth fund announced by the then chancellor George Osborne last November.

He said up to ten percent of tax proceeds from fracking would go to benefit communities hosting fracking wells and would be given to councils or community trusts to spend.

But now the Government is proposing to give the money directly to householders affected by the fracking.

Mrs May said she wanted individuals to benefit directly from economic decisions, though money could still go to local councils.