I REFER to your article about a letter written by a group of eminent landowners from Yorkshire written to oppose fracking.

The gas companies buy PEDL licences and legitimately have to fulfil their obligations to the Oil and Gas Authority to explore for hydrocarbons in the licence blocks.

These eminent landowners had a similar letter published in the Times newspaper.

There, they claimed “There is enough gas on the world market” failing to acknowledge that transporting gas across the globe does not offer energy security, create tax revenue nor “save the planet”.

If serious about reducing CO2 emissions, then importing gas is the last thing we should be doing.

We have no equivalent product capable of replacing gas and its derivatives to provide for the 65 million people living in this country.

Few residents are landowners and many are far from privileged, they at least may value a secure, affordable and plentiful supply of energy which also creates jobs, business investment and tax revenues to help pay for all the public services that we expect.

It may interest those landowners that the “grass roots” of the anti-fracking movement has many supporters of far left political group, Momentum.

The Communist Party of Britain aims to “put Britain on the road to a socialist revolution”.

Come the revolution the cry of “Keep off our land” may well fall on deaf ears and the “land grab” will certainly bring relief to the anxiety felt by those Yorkshire landowners.

Lorraine Allanson, Allerston

Protection needed

“WE are not being protected and there are no gold standards.” Thank you Ms Winter for such a clear statement of the situation prevailing, (Letters, Gazette & Herald) Despite the overwhelming accumulation of evidence pointing at the very least to invocation of the precautionary principle, our government asserts its ideological support for fracking.

It ignores the rapacious manoeuvring of INEOS in Scotland against the National Trust at Clumber Park, against protection for our moors and against those who dare to protest against its contribution to our plastics crisis via shale.

The government also turns a blind eye to democracy, as evidenced in the increasing number of English local councils which have rejected new fossil fuel exploration and exploitation, and evidenced also in what looks like the collapse of Third Energy.

If our standards were indeed gold, they would demonstrate to this government that fracking and climate protection are incompatible.

Is it our government we need protection against?

David Cragg-James, Stonegrave

Running for us

WE are urging everyone to lace up for the world’s largest half-marathon – the Great North Run – to help the UK’s largest meningitis charity beat the deadly disease.

Meningitis Now wants anyone lucky enough to secure a place to tread through Tyneside on Sunday, September 9 for us, while the unlucky ones can grab one of our guaranteed Golden Bond places.

Full support will be given for the 13.1-mile challenge.

Our runners receive a free running vest or T-shirt, a handy information pack with tips on how to prepare and an invite to our post-race reception with refreshments and complimentary sports massage.

By running for us you’ll be helping to fight meningitis with every stride and move us one step closer to our vision of a future where no one in the UK dies from meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need.

Last year our runners collectively raised a fantastic £34,635.41 – we are so proud of you all for taking on this tough yet rewarding challenge. This year we’d like to do even better.

Sadly, meningitis and septicaemia continue to affect thousands of people in the UK and kill more under-fives than any other infectious disease.

Help us fight back on all fronts by funding research to eradicate the disease, raising awareness and supporting survivors.

To find out more and sign up, email michaelai@meningitisnow.org or phone me on 01453 768000.

Michaela Ifill, events fundraiser, Meningitis Now