A PUBLIC consultation on whether or not to allow Third Energy to frack at Kirby Misperton has been extended until February.

The consultation, launched by the Environment Agency on December 2, was intended to allow local residents and interested groups to submit any new relevant information on the draft permits for shale gas exploration and production.

Environmental permit consultations usually run for four weeks, but the Environment Agency decided to extend the consultation period to allow people more time to read Third Energy’s proposals and submit their comments.

This consultation now has a deadline of Friday, February 12.

The Environment Agency said it is already "minded" to issue the permits following "a rigorous environmental assessment of the proposed activities, taking into account all of the comments made in the first consultation that closed in August."

This is the second consultation that the Environment Agency has held on the permit application. Its first consultation closed back in August 2015.

The draft permits set out conditions needed to protect groundwater, surface water and air quality and to ensure the safe storage, management and disposal of wastes.

In a statement, the Environment Agency said: "If the permits are issued, Third Energy would have to follow these strict conditions to ensure that operations do not cause harm to people or the environment, and the Environment Agency would stringently enforce these conditions."