THANK you to The Press for giving such prominence to the threat posed by fracking in Yorkshire (“On the alert over fracking threat”, Letters, July 16), especially in the light of the Government’s further plans announced on July 19.

The Government’s proposal to allow shale gas exploration (the precursor to fracking) to go-ahead without the need for a planning application means that, while you and I need planning consent to extend our houses, fracking companies can cover many square miles of rural Yorkshire with ugly and potentially dangerous industrial works without needing consent.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is an assault on democracy itself. If it succeeds then no area will be safe from any developments, regardless of local opinion.

That is why we all have a responsibility to oppose this, as MP Julian Sturdy does.

We have until October 25, 2018, to make our views known at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9LDDSVZ

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already outlawed fracking. Wake up, England.

Ann Petherick,

Scarcroft Hill, York

What value do we put on our survival?

WE apparently are extremely short of carbon dioxide to put in our fizzy drinks and yet this is the climate-changing enemy in our atmosphere, due to our over-indulgence in fossil-burning fuels producing a mega abundance of it.

I find this so ironic that it begs the question whether this is divine justice and that God is prodding mankind towards enlightenment?

The answer I suggest is to freeze locally our atmosphere to extract this valuable resource and put it in our fizzy drinks.

Of course this might prove expensive, yet what value do we place on our survival upon this planet?

Phil Shepherdson,

Chantry Close, York

Feed the birds and they will come back

D M DEAMER wrote in Tuesday’s Press that his garden birds have disappeared (Letters, July 24).

I do wonder if you are still feeding them, Mr Deamer. I live in Huntington Road and spend a lot of my time and money on the garden birds and at the moment we have flocks of longtailed tits, coal tits, blue and great tits, starlings, blackbirds and a couple of young robins coming every day.

Hopefully if you feed them you will get them coming back to you. Oh, we also have the dreaded magpies and pigeons. You’re very welcome to those.

Wendy Blanchard,

Huntington Road, York