Feature films 5 items | updated Sep 27 2011

An energy firm which has been test drilling for controversial shale gas a.k.a. fracking in the Blackpool area has said it could create up to 5,600 jobs across the UK.

Cuadrilla Resources began fracking on the Fylde Coast in March, but had to suspend its operations in June over fears of a link to two minor earthquakes in the area.

Cuadrilla said it was expecting to find out within the next 30 days whether or not its work contributed to the tremors.

In a meeting in Blackpool on Wednesday, Cuadrilla said it has found a significant amount of gas and hopes to begin drilling commercially within two years.

Protest against fracking Campaign Against Climate Change staged a protest in Blackpool on Wednesday.

Opponents to the fracking believe it produces damaging carbon emissions. And for those of us who have seen the excellent documentary Gasland we know it can do more damage than that.

Gasland shows how fracking caused controversy in the US where there have been claims from some householders that the subsequent release of gas has caused illness.

There are also claims that the gas itself can pollute drinking water, with footage of people able to set fire to the water coming out of their taps.

A small protest, organised by Campaign Against Climate Change, was held outside the meeting at The Imperial Hotel in Blackpool today.

Fracking involves the hydraulic fracturing of the ground using high-pressure liquid containing chemicals to release the gas - here's our Q&A on fracking.

Cuadrilla's chief executive, Mark Miller, told BBC the company "hoped to drill up to 400 wells in Lancashire to extract some of the 200 trillion cubic feet of gas it had found under the ground in the area."

He told BBC thousands of highly skilled jobs would be created, with 1,700 of those in Lancashire, with posts paying an average wage of £55,000.

Mr Miller said the wells - as many as 400 over the next nine years and up to 800 over 16 years if gas extraction is successful - could be grouped in units of 10 on each football pitch-sized site, reducing their impact on the landscape.

He said each well is drilled and then fracking takes place over several weeks, after which the well can potentially produce gas for up to 30 to 50 years.

Mr Miller said: "When they are done right, someone driving by on a country road or walking their dog, it will be hard for them to see our sites as they will blend in with the Lancashire countryside."

On the 6th of August anti-fracking campaigners climbed 500 feet to hang two banners from Blackpool Tower to raise awareness of their fears over the controversial gas extraction method.

The Blackpool Tower is five miles east of the first fracking test well in the UK operated by Cuadrilla Resources.

We spoke to Philippa De Boissiere, one of the 'Frack Off' representatives who was there on the day, about why they don't want fracking to take place in the UK.

What is fracking?

In February this year, the Green Party called for a ban on an extremely controversial method of extracting gas called "fracking". Fracking - or Hydraulic fracturing - is a process used by gas companies to extract natural gas trapped inside hard shale rocks deep inside the earth.

How does fracking work?

The get to the gas trapped inside the shale rocks engineers drill down and create tiny explosions to shatter and crack the hard shale rocks. They do this by injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well. The process is carried out vertically or, more commonly, by drilling horizontally to the rock layer.

Why is it controversial?

Much of the water used in fracking is collected from the well and processed by the gas companies, but there are concerns that potentially carcinogenic chemicals can sometimes escape and find their way into drinking water sources.

Many shale gas deposits are buried under aquifers, which is where we get most of our groundwater, so if the casing around the wellhole is not up to scratch a lot of our water can be contaminated.

As you can see in the documentary Gasland, some Americans have had gas leaked into their drinking supply which has caused their tap water to ignite!

There are also worries that the fracking process can cause small earth tremors. Two small earthquakes of 1.5 and 2.2 magnitude hit the Blackpool area this year and fracking operations have now been suspended pending an investigation.

So what chemicals are used?

Reports in the US have found hundreds of chemicals in use, some of them potentially toxic, including; methanol, naphthalene, benzene and lead. In the UK, shale gas company Cuadrilla Resources claim they only use three, including a lubricant commonly found in cosmetics, hydrochloric acid, and a biocide commonly used to purify drinking water.

If you haven't heard about "fracking" you need to listen up right now, because it's very likely to come to a town near you!

Hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – is a process used by gas companies to extract natural gas trapped inside hard shale rocks deep inside the earth by flushing it out using water.

Why is this a bad thing we hear you ask…well have a look at the trailer for the Oscar nominated documentary Gasland and you will understand why fracking in the UK is something we all should be concerned about.

Not only can the water used to flush out the gas from the shale rocks be poisonous for you and the environment - it can ignite!

Exploration companies claim there is a potential £70bn of gas reserves in rocks deep under south Wales, they have already started franking in Blackpool and  there are applications in process for fracking sites all over the UK and Europe.