24-hour drilling in Shropshire could start as soon as September

A campaign group against the drilling have said the potential start date is "obscenely close" and are shocked at the timescale, just days after the plans were labelled "bonkers" by experts at a packed public meeting.

Dart Energy wants permission to drill a temporary coal bed methane exploration borehole on land north west of The Brooklands, Dudleston, near Ellesmere.

In a planning application submitted to Shropshire Council, Dart Energy have revealed the site would be operational for 24 hours a day for a 60-day period, and if given the go-ahead by the planning committee, hope to get started this September.

Chris Hasketh, a spokesman for Frack Free Dudlestone, said: "Mid-September is their ideal deadline to start, and that is obscenely close, but they just don't care.

"There are many reasons that this is unlikely to happen. Firstly I hope this is stopped through the democratic process and is rejected.

"But it would be completely reasonable to say that protesters from elsewhere would turn up if this was to go ahead. Just as they have done in parts of Chester, to the point where nothing has been done with proposed drilling up there.

"But at Frack Free Dudleston we are trying to tackle this through the democratic process and not through protests and we are confident we have a reasoned argument against it."

The application is for a borehole with a total depth of 830 metres – just over half a mile.

Local objectors fear any coal bed methane drilling could be the first step towards fracking, potentially compromising the water table.

Members of the public have voiced there objections to the application on Shropshire Council's website of which there has been 11 so far with no comments in favour.

Resident, Susan Connolly, said: "This is a totally rural area and the test drilling will adversely affect the peace and quiet of the local surroundings.

"We chose to live in this area three-and-a-half years ago and nothing came up in the searches about Dart and their plans.

"There will be lots of heavy lorry journeys on roads that are totally unsuitable for such a rural lane. Dart have told us there will be substantial movements over the test period.

"In addition, there will be other hazards such as 24-hour lighting of the site and noise and dust, and mud in the winter. Local air quality will be affected adversely."

Another objector, Claire Jandrell, said: "Shropshire has a proud history of its agricultural background and natural beauty.

"By allowing this application to go forward we would be opening up the gate way which could change the whole landscape and ethos of this beautiful county.

"I feel strongly that an in depth environmental impact assessment should be carried out and this would highlight the daily and long term impact this proposal would have on the local community and wild life."

Peter Reilly, a spokesman for Dart Energy, told the Shropshire Star that once the 60-day period is up the site will be restored to its former condition.

The project has already sparked a series of protests, with public meetings held in both the Ellesmere area and in Oswestry.

On Monday night Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow told a packed meeting in St Martins that he thinks plans to drill for methane gas in Shropshire should be refused.

He told a meeting attended by more than 100 people that he would be working with council officers to look at the issue, adding that any reason for refusal had to be on planning grounds and must stand up to legal scrutiny.

The application is open for people to view and comment on at the Shropshire Council website it will be available comment upon before councillors make a decision at a later date which has yet to be set.