A HUGE amount of coverage is being devoted to fracking, which intensified once the news that national company Third Energy is to apply to carry out exploratory fracks at Kirby Misperton.

There is an increasing level of public anxiety about what looks like a dash for cash at the potential expense of our countryside, threats to water supplies and concerns about an unacceptable level of risk.

This is why I have been calling for an open public debate on the subject so that anyone who has concerns about the process and its impact locally can hear both sides of the argument and make up their own minds on the issue. I first called for a public meeting at a recent parish liaison meeting at Ryedale District Council and Liberal Democrat colleagues on the council have since submitted a motion to full council on December 18 to this effect.

As to my own views – I have most definitely landed on the anti-fracking side of the fence.

The risks to public health through water and land contamination plus light, air and noise pollution is not something that I would like to see smack in the middle of Ryedale on the edge of a beautiful national park and on the doorstep of one of our largest tourist attractions. Or anywhere else in our green and pleasant land.

Add to this the unknowns of potential seismic activity and inevitable drop in local house prices – as illustrated already near North West fracking sites – even after meeting company representatives, I find the case for opposing fracking to be overwhelming.

Even the Tories have now admitted that it won’t provide cheaper energy.

There are sources of sustainable energy that we should be investing in – offshore wind, solar and wave power – rather than risking the health and wellbeing of the population by pursuing a frack filled future.

Di Keal, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Thirsk and Malton