Communities still face fracking threat - despite govt pledge to ban it for good

Communities still face fracking threat - despite govt pledge to ban it for good

• New report from leading UK geologist warns of seismic threat from proppant squeeze - a low-volume form of fracking
• Ministers urged to close loophole in current fracking moratorium as part of its pledge to 'ban fracking for good'
• One proppant squeeze application already granted - more in the pipeline

Concerns are growing that the government's pledge to 'ban fracking for good' won't live up to local communities' expectations, and won't include a low-volume fracking technique that currently threatens areas of the Midlands, the North of England, and parts of the South East.

Ministers have said they will "bring forward legislation to end new onshore oil and gas licensing in England, including new licences that could be used for fracking". However, it remains unclear whether the government intends to turn the current fracking moratorium (introduced in 2019 following earthquakes in Lancashire) into a permanent ban. Friends of the Earth says it should - as well as ensuring a major loophole in the moratorium, which allows certain types of fracking to go ahead, is closed.

The current moratorium only applies to high-volume fracking, meaning some lower-volume techniques are not covered. One example is proppant squeeze [1] a method that injects fluid and a granular material (such as sand) into rock at high pressure to create fractures. Because it uses smaller volumes, proppant squeeze falls outside the scope of the current moratorium.

Despite being a lower-volume technique, there are growing concerns that proppant squeeze could still trigger earthquakes. A new report from leading geologist Professor Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh, written for Friends of the Earth, warns that the evidence from analysis of the seismic activity triggered by Cuadrilla's fracking in Lancashire in 2019 shows that earthquakes from high-volume fracking and low-volume fracking are "equally large and equally unpredictable".

Indeed, the volumes of fluid proposed for use at Burniston are higher than those used by Cuadrilla in the week leading up to the highest recorded earthquake at Preston New Road in 2019. Professor Haszeldine says that the loophole in the current regulatory framework which means that lower-volume fracking is not covered by the current moratorium should be closed. Professor Haszeldine's report is here - and a summary is here.

Significant parts of the North, Midlands and areas of the South East are already licenced for onshore oil and gas exploration and production. Unless the government specifically prohibits proppant squeeze and other types of well stimulation, communities remain at risk.

One proppant squeeze application has already been granted in East Yorkshire and more applications are in the pipeline:

• West Newton in East Yorkshire: Rathlin Energy has already had permission granted for the production of oil and gas but applied to the Environment Agency (EA) to be allowed to use proppant squeeze. The EA approved this permit variation to allow proppant squeeze/well stimulation in February 2026.
• Burniston, North Yorkshire: North Yorkshire County Council's planning committee is due to consider a proppant squeeze application at Burniston, near Scarborough on Friday 24 April. Council planning officers have recommended that the scheme be approved. The proposal is unanimously opposed by Reform-led Scarborough Town Council (despite the national party's explicit support of fracking and fossil fuel exploitation) and there have reportedly been over 1,500 local objections.
• Wressle near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire: Egdon Resources had its planning application for two more production wells and lower-volume fracking (proppant squeeze) quashed in 2024. A further planning application is yet to be submitted, but the council has stated an EIA (to better assess environmental impacts) will not be required.

Earlier this year it was reported that the government is reviewing so-called low-volume fracking. There is mounting concern, however, that ministers may be reluctant to act on proppant squeeze - leaving a clear loophole for the industry to exploit. In December 2025, the Minister of Energy Security and Net Zero, Michael Shanks MP, said that "the evidence base is not there at the moment to suggest that low-volume hydraulic fracturing activities have the same associated risks as fracking for shale gas."

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said:

"The government has rightly committed to banning fracking. It has triggered earthquakes, blights our countryside, won't cut UK energy bills, is deeply unpopular with communities and fuels the climate crisis.

"But there is still major uncertainty about how the ban will work and whether low-volume techniques such as proppant squeeze will still be allowed to go-ahead. A growing number of communities in England are already facing this threat.

"Now, one of the UK's leading geologists is warning that the earthquakes caused by low-volume fracking could be just as large and unpredictable as those that hit Lancashire in 2019.

"Ministers must reassure communities by banning all forms of fracking - failure to act will undermine Labour's credibility. And planning authorities should hold off on deciding fracking applications until the government's position is clear."

Professor Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh, said:

"There is a moratorium on high-volume fracking because of the risk of unpredictable earthquakes. But low-volume fracking can produce tremors that are equally large and equally unpredictable.

"The current loophole in the regulations means that unconventional oil and gas can be pursued using acid fracturing or small volume fracking under the guise of conventional exploration and production.

"Developers are probing to find exemptions from current rules. That means locations with sandstone or limestone reservoirs could be drilled and fractured with water and proppant to aid the production of onshore oil and gas, whilst earthquakes could be triggered or felt 15km away. The rules need to be more tightly written to safeguard residents against poorly understood effects, not simply hoping that developers get good outcomes."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Proppant squeeze

Despite this being referred to as lower-volume fracking, proppant fluid volumes can actually exceed those used in stages of 'high volume' fracking: Europa Oil & Gas have proposed injecting up to 2000m3 of fluid and 60 tonnes of proppant at Burniston overall, potentially over four separate occasions (known as a 'treatment'). A 500m3 treatment volume is higher than any of the daily volumes injected by Cuadrilla at Preston New Road in Lancashire in the period leading up to the 2.9ML earthquake that led to the government's moratorium. Despite this, the basis of the government's moratorium is the volume of fluid used, meaning that the Burniston application is not covered by the moratorium.