The promise of prosperity for rural communities appear grim if fracking would proceed in the UK.

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Rural Communities Biggest Loser in Fracking Plans, UK report

  • Protestors hold signs against fracking during a demonstration.

    Protestors hold signs against fracking during a demonstration. | Photo: AFP

Published 1 July 2015
Opinion

The promise of prosperity for rural communities appear grim if fracking would proceed in the UK.

Shale gas operations in the UK could be devastating to rural communities, a previously-censored British government report warns.

A new study from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), released on Wednesday, highlights that fracking could contaminate wildlife, livestock and agricultural products, resulting in severe health risks for rural communities.

While fracking operations it is claimed would deliver thousands of new jobs, the report questions if local communities would be their direct beneficiaries. Requiring a particular set of skills and experiences, jobs are expected to go elsewhere, which would increase rent prices local residents could no longer afford. Additionally, rural tourism would plummet due to pollution, negatively affecting local businesses. The report also estimates that property values would suffer a major decrease and be subjected to higher insurance costs.  

RELATED: UK's Top Scientist Warns about Problems of Fracking

The government was accused of censorship and covering up the negative effects of fracking last year after a prior publication of the report appeared heavily redacted.  Two weeks ago the information commissioner’s office ruled that the report must be released in full and unredacted, according to the Guardian.

The report warns that fracking could “transform a previously pristine and quiet natural region” and “may suffer losses from this change such as agriculture, tourism, organic farming, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.”

Based on previous studies, the report claims that the pollution that accompanies fracking could cause deafening noise, affect sleeping patterns and contaminate air quality for local residents.

The report’s publication, based on literature reviews and previous case studies, comes only two days after Lancashire county council rejected a major fracking operation in the county.

Following that decision Liz Hutchins, Friends of the Earth senior campaigner told teleSUR, "Fracking is an unacceptable threat to health and the local environment and economy. It is also a new source of fossil fuel at a time when we need to get off carbon and power our society with clean renewable energy."

WATCH: Fracking causes damages to houses and crops in Spain

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