Fears over plans to drill for gas in Shropshire
The Shropshire Wildlife Trust has expressed concerns over plans to drill for gas in the county.
The trust says the proposed site for the work, in Dudleston, near Ellesmere, sits in a "highly sensitive" area and could have a serious impact on water supplies.
The concerns come days after Environment Secretary Owen Paterson gave his backing to the scheme, saying it will bring wealth and jobs to the area.
But the proposals have outraged campaigners who say exploratory drilling for coal-bed methane gas could open the door for controversial "fracking", or hydraulic fracturing, for shale gas in the the future.
Mr Paterson, the North Shropshire MP, said the scheme would help provide energy to the whole of the UK.
A statement on behalf of Shropshire Wildlife Trust said: "The Meres and Mosses area of north Shropshire is a highly sensitive environment, recently recognised by the government for its unique nature when it was designated a Nature Improvement Area, one of the first 12 in the UK.
"Parts of the area have been awarded international protection as Special Areas of Conservation.
"The risks involved in coal-bed methane extraction have serious implications for water supplies.
"Not only does the process involve pumping vast amounts of water through the ground, there is also the clear possibility of contamination.
"Water supplies in north Shropshire are already stressed as a result of diffuse pollution from agriculture and high demand for domestic and industrial use.
"Ground water is pumped out at times of drought to maintain levels in the Severn and its tributaries and needs to be clean and plentiful, for the health of both people and nature.
"At a time when EU directives are driving improvements in both drinking water quality and ecological standards of our rivers, the problems of coal-bed methane extraction could make the situation very much worse."
Multi-national Dart Energy denies it has any plans to use "fracking" for shale gas in the county even though north Shropshire sits on both coal and shale, saying it is interested in coal-bed methane only and the application would simply be a renewal of previous lapsed permission.
