Those of us who have campaigned for years to stop fracking in the UK will derive some pleasure from the fact that there is now a moratorium on the industry in the UK.

However, the cynics in us may question why a Conservative government which has spent more than £45m of public money directly supporting the industry and has extolled its virtues consistently has suddenly decided it’s a bad idea. Fracking is extremely unpopular with voters and I’m sure it is no coincidence that there’s a General Election looming. The only parties that have supported fracking have been the Conservatives and the Brexit party, which still does. All the others have already stated that they would ban fracking.

Let us not forget Boris Johnson has form on saying one thing and doing another. He promised to lie down in in front of bulldozers to stop a third runway at Heathrow and to die in a ditch to deliver Brexit by October 31, neither of which he has done. If the country is unwise enough to give him a majority, I suspect he will reverse this decision. We must ensure that does not happen.

Tony Fisher (Chair Frack Free York and the Villages)

West End, Strensall