YOU recently published an article about INEOS being awarded licenses to test drill some fracking wells in areas of Cheshire including Northwich.

You quoted George Osbourne as being in favour because “fracking could lead to lower bills, more jobs and lower carbon emissions”.

But, continued Mr Osbourne, “there will need to be full checks to make sure fracking is safe and safeguards the environment”.

Well Mr Osbourne, I have news for you.

If you compare fracking to the insulation of our homes and the use of renewable forms of energy there is ample evidence that: fracking is not safe; fracking will damage the environment; fracking will not lead to lower carbon emissions; fracking will not create more jobs and fracking will not lead to lower family bills.

Let’s take each of these in turn.

Fracking is not safe.

Millions of gallons of water, chemicals and sand are pumped down into the ground at high pressure to fracture the rock and allow the methane gas to escape.

The gas and water return to the surface, contaminated.

There is evidence from the US that respiratory illnesses in the local population have significantly increased near fracking wells.

Fracking will damage the environment.

There will need to be massive drilling, pumping and storage tanks every four to five miles across the Cheshire countryside.

Millions of gallons of water are required, so that means thousands of tanker journeys.

There will be noisy compressors and drills going day and night.

Flares will light up the countryside.

Fracking will not lead to lower carbon emissions.

How can burning or leaking more fossil fuels lead to lower carbon emissions?

We already have sufficient fossil fuel reserves world wide to make large areas of our planet uninhabitable.

We don’t need any more.

Fracking will not create more jobs.

Fracking in the US and Poland has not led to equipment and supplies being purchased locally.

Jobs have gone to transient workers. The fracking corporation has made the profits with token amounts, if any, being given to local communities.

Fracking will not lead to lower family bills.

Gas prices are set in an international market, so any gas extracted by fracking in Cheshire would hardly affect our bills.

To reduce our bills, we should invest in insulation, efficient heating and solar panels that permanently reduce energy bills.

The Green Party thinks fracking should be banned because it’s too dangerous.

Fossil fuel subsidies should be redirected to fund energy efficiency measures, community owned renewable energy sources and the elimination of fuel poverty.

Richard Barraclough Cheshire East Green Party