Brighton MP has police bail extended

The Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas must wait a further four weeks to find out whether she will be charged over her anti-fracking protest in Balcombe.

Dr Lucas was arrested on Monday 19 August on suspicion of breaching the Public Order Act by ignoring an instruction given by a police officer to leave the protest site.

She was released on police bail and ordered to answer bail today (Tuesday 27 August) to find out whether she faced being charged and brought before a court.

Sussex Police has instead extended her until Wednesday 25 September when she will learn what if action will be taken.

She was one of half a dozen people from Brighton and Hove who were arrested during the protest against the energy company Cuadrilla on Monday 19 August.

In all 29 people were arrested on the same day and more than 80 people have been arrested since the protests began in Balcombe.

More than a dozen of those arrested have come from Brighton and Hove.

Cuadrilla says that it is test drilling for oil and that it would use hydraulic fracturing – fracking – to try to extract gas if it was economic to extract oil.

The company also said that it would need further permission before it could use fracking at Balcombe.