image expired

Campaigners 'lock on' in London
 
At 8am on Monday, campaigners from the Reclaim the Power camp at Blackpool superglued and chained themselves to Defra headquarters in London, in protest against the publication of Defra's heavily redacted document on the potential impacts of shale gas exploration on rural communities.

Another activist climbed the building and unfurled a banner reading, 'What's to hide, Defra? – Don't frack with our future'. 
 
Lindsay Alderton, a campaigner from London, who was superglued to the Defra building, said, "Why is it that 63 segments of the Defra report were blacked out from public view? Keeping secret the impacts of shale gas extraction on the rural communities that it's going to affect is shameful – the public has a right to know the effects upon their housing and local services.
 
"This morning we're here at DEFRA to remind them that they work for the public that pays them their wages, and that the public demands to know the facts about fracking – censoring is not an acceptable option."

A Defra spokesperson said the protest was "a matter for the police" to handle, but added that "This Government believes that shale has a positive part to play in our future energy mix", and claimed there is no evidence that fracking will have an effect on house prices.

A fall in house value is one of three major impacts listed in Defra's impact report, alongside "overwhelmed local services." The third listed impact was censored when the report was published on 11th August.

Much of the executive summary and conclusion of the report were also redacted. A health policy report was also referred to in the text, but is thought to have been cut, alongside assessments of the industry's commercial viability.