Government set to reveal potential fracking sites

The Government has issued new licenses for controversial gas and oil exploration in 159 blocks - a move which campaigners say could put large swathes of countryside at potential risk from fracking.

The Government has been accused of "sneaking through" rules to allow fracking beneath national parks, world heritage sites and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

The first set of new licences are set to be announced on Thursday.

But the move has been met with anger from campaigners, who claim the plans put the environment at risk.

ITV News Business Editor Joel Hills reports:

The new fracking regulations put drinking water at risk, Friends of the Earth has warned.

Rose Dickinson, from the environmental group, said the new rules, which also allow fracking in certain groundwater areas, put drinking water and national parks at risk.

The group is campaigning for a full ban on fracking because it says 80% of fossil fuels have to remain in the ground to avoid dangerous climate change.