ANTI-FRACKING protesters in Ryedale have vowed to continue to fight the industry.

The Frack-Free Ryedale group made the declaration in response to Knapton-based energy firm Third Energy’s programme of plans for its fracking operations in the district over the next few years.

In the December document by the oil and gas authority, which detailed plans for licences across the country, Third Energy laid out plans to explore for gas in Ryedale over the next few years.

These include fracking its Kirby Misperton well by the end of this year and, within 18 months, drilling another lateral well and complete a hydraulic fracture operation in

that.

It added it will drill and frack a 3,000m well by September 2021 and drill and frack a further well by December 2022, with two more wells to follow in 2023 and 2024.

A spokesman for the company said the plans are just “business as usual” and go alongside the firm’s other gas production operations.

“Third Energy has continued to operate its conventional gas business in the Vale of Pickering and electricity generation at Knapton, and has always stated that it will move the unconventional gas operations forward,” they said.

But opponents of fracking in Ryedale said they were surprised to see the programme of work, given the long period of inactivity at the Kirby Misperton site which followed a Governmental request for financial information from the company.

Steve Mason of Frack-Free Ryedale said: “This has come like a bolt from the blue after months of silence from Third Energy. But how are they going to follow this schedule when their financial stability still hasn’t been signed off by the Minister?

“Sadly these threats to frack by the company hang like a dark cloud over Ryedale, but residents are determined and we will continue fight them every step of the way.”

Third Energy had said it would frack the so-called KM8 well by Christmas 2017. But in February the next year, a series of delays - and the request by the secretary of state for financial assurances - led to a prolonged halt in operations.