Sussex police have made several arrests at an oil drilling site near the village of Balcombe after local residents and anti-fracking activists attempted to block the delivery of machinery for a second day.
Activists said police removed people who had formed a human chain across gates to the rural West Sussex site where the energy company Cuadrilla, headed by the former BP chief Lord Browne, intends to start test drilling for oil next week.
A spokeswoman for Sussex police confirmed the arrests, believed to be of about nine people. It is understood the protesters also tried to blockade the gated entrance to the site on London Road using a tree.
On Thursday the protesters, who had gathered on the private road to the drilling site at the junction with London Road, had been warned by police that they would be committing an offence if they blocked trucks from entering. The alliance of environmentalists and local villagers succeeded in turning away at least one truck carrying parts for the drilling operation, which Cuadrilla says could result in controversial hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Sussex shale. Many camped overnight, but on Friday there was a heavier police presence, according to reports from campaigners.
"This morning there was quite a heavy police presence," said Andrew West from the campaign group Frack Off. "The trucks started to arrive again and a human chain was formed in front of the gates and the police have made the first arrests. People are really shocked it escalated so quickly."
This week the Environment Agency and the Department for Energy granted permits for oil exploration on the site to Cuadrilla, which also operates hydraulic fracturing rigs in Lancashire.
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Anti-Fracking Activists in UK Arrested
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Imagine this...Standing up to protect your land and water is a criminal offense, whereas toxifying that water that is a common as well as destroying forests, crops and anything else in their corporate path is not. Clearly the governments of the world in league with their corporate masters have gone certificably insane with greed.
Bravo for the people in Balcombe standing up and risking arrest for their children, their land and their water! I suppose all the "Royal Baby" media distractions haven't been able to mesmerize everyone.
And get ready, because as this becomes much more prevalent there WILL be more people standing up to protect their water despite the lies put out by the companies now looking to make profit off a totally UNNECESSARY form of energy that is anything but renewable or clean.
SAVE OUR WATER.
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