A company preparing to be the first to start large-scale UK fracking has breached its planning permission by delivering a drilling rig overnight, prompting the local authority to warn it is considering action against it.
Cuadrilla said that around 30 trucks had made deliveries to its Preston New Road site near Blackpool at 4.45am on Thursday. It has permission to frack at the site later this year.
Campaigners accused the company of bringing in the rig “under the cover of darkness” to avoid protests, and said the move would only strengthen opposition.
The rig will be used to drill a 3,500m pilot well, taking samples to find the best spot to drill two vertical exploratory wells, from which the UK’s first horizontal shale wells will be drilled.
But Lancashire county council said Cuadrilla had breached the terms of its planning permission by delivering equipment on heavy vehicles outside of the permitted hours of 7.30am-6.30pm.
A council spokesman said: “We are writing to the operator requiring them to put measures in place to prevent a recurrence, as well as considering what further action to take.”
The council could not say what form that action might take.
Cuadrilla defended its decision to deliver outside of its permitted hours, saying it had done so in consultation with the police, with the aim of minimising disruption on the road outside the site. The company said the road has been closed or reduced to a single lane several times in recent weeks during protests.
The shale industry and ministers have repeatedly promised fracking operations in the UK are covered by strong regulations that will be enforced to avoid the mistakes and environmental damage caused in the US, where the technology took off.
Ellie Groves of Reclaim the Power, a group which has been protesting outside the site for months, said: “While they congratulate themselves, we won’t be distracted by today’s news, and it will only strengthen everybody’s resolve to keep fighting.”
During the day, protesters used two cars to block the site, where police are present.
Polly Steiner of Friends of the Earth said: “We have repeatedly heard about this supposed shale gas revolution, but so far the fracking industry has only stalled while opposition has increased.”
Lancashire county council had rejected the wells but last year the government overturned the decision, paving the way for Cuadrilla to drill and frack at the Preston New Road site this year.
Cuadrilla welcomed the rig’s arrival and said it was proud to be at the forefront of efforts to develop the UK’s shale resource as North Sea gas production declines.
Francis Egan, chief executive, said: “The drilling of the first horizontal exploration wells into UK shale rock will be an important milestone in unlocking a vital new source of natural gas for the country.”