Bassetlaw Against Fracking

Until i went to Daneshill, the 'Dart Energy' drilling site. I really didn't know much about Fracking, foolishly trusting that the statutary authorities and NGO's would always do the right thing.That is to put the protection of the environment, wildlife and the population first.

How wrong could I be? Very wrong is the answer!!!!!!

After first visiting the site some 6 weeks ago I emediatlely asked some locals "Why have Dart Energy been allowed to drill on an old WW" bomb factory? The answer to that question and what followed in the next six week has astounded me, so much so that I'm now very worried about the effects CBM/fracking will almost certainly have on our environment, wildlife and all our lives if allowed to continue unregulated!

Especially if the Environment Agency (EA), Notts. County Council (NCC) and Notts. Wildlife Trust (NWT) are the organisations charged with protecting our massive aquifer (drinking water), the wildlife and people of Bassetlaw.

None of the above questioned the health & safety implications of drilling through old buried munitions. The planning application shows NWT actually supported it.

No soil samples were taken by EA prior to drilling comencing.

No 'Genuine' wildlife survey was done. One was done for Dart Energy: results apparently showed NO! birds, NO! Bats, NO! Deer, NO! Badgers, NO! amphibians in fact NO WILDLIFE.

An independant survey found a frog squashed at the access gate and over 20 species of birds, including a schedule 1 species 'Wood lark' with 90+ birds in total recorded during a short one hour site perimiter survey. Also several deer and amphibians (frogs/toads) present.

NB: Disturbing schedual 1 birds is an offence if you are informed of their presence. So not suprising they didn't find them!!!

Before granting a permit to drill for CBM/fracking, the relevant regulatory authority (The Environment Agency) MUST be satisfied that these activities will NOT cause pollution of groundwater. Oh really!

In the case of the 'Daneshill Forest' drill site. No consideration was given to the fact the site was on a WW2 munitions factory (ROF). As can you believe "no one knew it had existed". NCC's words not mine!
Despite the fact that Notts. County Council owns and leased the land to Dart Energy. (Nice earner)  NB: NCC Approved the planning application......
Once approved, monitoring of the environment IS required. Oh Really! As part of permit conditions to demonstrate that no environmental impact is occurring.

YET! Neither Dart Energy or EA bothered to do any soil sampling on this old bomb site. Not until local people complained over and over again!

NCC actually said "We were not aware the factory extended to the south of the main road".
Strange that! As NCC not only own the land but only a few years ago they erected a large notice board on the adjacent Daneshill Nature Reserve, which showed the full extent of the old ROF works buildings and all. You couldn't make it up could you?.  Yet someone obviously did!

In many peoples minds there is proof enough that NCC's old ROF bomb site, did extend up to and around the drilling site. The samples were only begrudgingly taken from the surface as the pad was already down and the drill was sat on it.

NCC owning the site, leasing it to dart and erecting a plan of the ROF site shows they knew all about the historical use of THEIR own land.  Even the Luftwaffe knew about it...

Is our environment and wildlife safe in the hands of Dart Energy, EA. Local councils and NGO's?

I fear NOT if the recent Daneshill experience is the norm!