Lancashire anti-fracking protestors target conference

Women are gathering outside the Labour Women’s Conference today to show their opposition to fracking and to call on the Labour party leadership to reject the process of fuel extraction.

Fracking, the controversial process of extracting shale gas from under the ground through the process of "hydraulic fracturing", is the new environmental flashpoint - and women have been at the forefront of local campaigns to ensure ordinary peoples’ voices are heard.

Across the UK communities have been fighting back against fracking. In Balcombe, West Sussex, where Cuadrilla has been carrying out exploratory drilling, local women are prominent in community campaigns.

In Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and Somerset women have been leading the charge against companies including Cuadrilla, Coastal Oil & Gas and Gas attempting exploratory drilling for fossil fuels.

Justine Stopforth, mother and nurse, member of Ribble Estuary Against Fracking, from Hesketh Bank, Lancashire said:

“I’m worried about what fracking will do to our health and how it will affect local growers.

The regulations that are supposed to protect us seem to exist to give companies carte blanche to drill in our beautiful county.

Every step of the way residents have had to fight hard to stop profits ruling over people.”