Sutton cum Lound: Leading Green Party European election candidate gives her backing to anti-drilling protestors at Retford forest

The Green Party has backed demonstrators who were at the anti-drilling protest in Sutton cum Lound

Green Party supporters in the East Midlands have given their backing to the campaign group Frack Free Notts and share their concern at the DART Energy’s exploratory drilling at Dansehill Energy Forest in Sutton cum Lound.

DART are setting up a mobile drill at the site and claim it is only temporary while they extract coal samples.

But local residents are concerned that it may lead to the establishing of a major gas field on their doorstep, using the controversial technique of fracking.

Residents joined campaigners in a protest at the entrance to the site last month.

And now Kat Boettge, the Green Party’s lead candidate in May’s upcoming European Elections has said: “Dart Energy are not drilling this site out of curiosity – they know that it is on the North Notts Coalfield.”

“Their purpose is to determine the potential gas yield, and if it is high enough they will be back.”

“If they have to use horizontal drilling to reach enough gas, then they will use fracking.”

The Green Party is critical of the Government’s support for fracking in the UK, saying the gas produced is still a fossil fuel and that burning it increases the risk of climate change.

Ms Boettge went on to say that the money used for fracking would be far better invested in renewable energy.