Burniston fracking: Government fracking ban may not live up to expectations warns Friends of the Earth

The Energy Secretary has confirmed plans to bring forward legislation to end new onshore oil and gas licensing in England, including new licences that could be used for fracking.

However, it remains unclear whether the government intends to turn the current fracking moratorium (introduced in 2019 following earthquakes in Lancashire) into a permanent ban. Friends of the Earth says it should - as well as ensuring a major loophole in the moratorium, which allows certain types of fracking to go ahead, is closed.

The current moratorium only applies to high-volume fracking, meaning some lower-volume techniques are not covered. One example is proppant squeeze – a method that injects fluid and a granular material (such as sand) into rock at high pressure to create fractures. Because it uses smaller volumes, proppant squeeze falls outside the scope of the current moratorium.

Despite being a lower-volume technique, there are growing concerns that proppant squeeze could still trigger earthquakes. A new report from leading geologist Professor Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh, written for Friends of the Earth, warns that the evidence from analysis of the seismic activity triggered by Cuadrilla’s fracking in Lancashire in 2019 shows that earthquakes from high-volume fracking and low-volume fracking are “equally large and equally unpredictable”.

Indeed, the volumes of fluid proposed for use at Burniston are higher than those used by Cuadrilla in the week leading up to the highest recorded earthquake at Preston New Road in 2019. Professor Haszeldine says that the loophole in the current regulatory framework which means that lower-volume fracking is not covered by the current moratorium should be closed. Professor Haszeldine’s report is here – and a summary is here.

North Yorkshire County Council’s planning committee is due to consider a proppant squeeze application at Burniston, near Scarborough on Friday April 24. Council planning officers have recommended that the scheme be approved. The proposal is unanimously opposed by Reform-led Scarborough Town Council (despite the national party’s explicit support of fracking and fossil fuel exploitation) and there have reportedly been over 1,500 local objections.

Friends of the Earth has been in regular correspondence with North Yorkshire Council (NYC) over Europa Oil and Gas’s planning application.

The scheme is also opposed by local Labour MP Alison Hume (who has called for a comprehensive ban on small-scale fracking operations) and local group Frack Free Coastal Communities – as well as parish councils in the area including Burniston, Scalby and Cloughton parish councils.

Earlier this year it was reported that the government is reviewing so-called low-volume fracking. There is mounting concern, however, that ministers may be reluctant to act on proppant squeeze - leaving a clear loophole for the industry to exploit. In December 2025, the Minister of Energy Security and Net Zero, Michael Shanks MP, said that “the evidence base is not there at the moment to suggest that low-volume hydraulic fracturing activities have the same associated risks as fracking for shale gas.”

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said: “The government has rightly committed to banning fracking. It has triggered earthquakes, blights our countryside, won’t cut UK energy bills, is deeply unpopular with communities and fuels the climate crisis.

“But there is still major uncertainty about how the ban will work and whether low-volume techniques such as proppant squeeze will still be allowed to go-ahead. A growing number of communities in England are already facing this threat.

“Now, one of the UK’s leading geologists is warning that the earthquakes caused by low-volume fracking could be just as large and unpredictable as those that hit Lancashire in 2019.

“Ministers must reassure communities by banning all forms of fracking - failure to act will undermine Labour's credibility. And planning authorities should hold off on deciding fracking applications until the government's position is clear."

Professor Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh, said: “There is a moratorium on high-volume fracking because of the risk of unpredictable earthquakes. But low-volume fracking can produce tremors that are equally large and equally unpredictable.

“The current loophole in the regulations means that unconventional oil and gas can be pursued using acid fracturing or small volume fracking under the guise of conventional exploration and production.

“Developers are probing to find exemptions from current rules. That means locations with sandstone or limestone reservoirs could be drilled and fractured with water and proppant to aid the production of onshore oil and gas, whilst earthquakes could be triggered or felt 15km away. The rules need to be more tightly written to safeguard residents against poorly understood effects, not simply hoping that developers get good outcomes.”