Environmentalists urge caution after Sussex underground oil reserve claims

Environmental campaigners believe claims there are huge oil reserves under Sussex countryside risk “setting alarm bells ringing” across the county.

According to a report published last week (Thursday May 22), the British Geological Survey (BGS) estimates there are are between 2.2 billion and 8.6 billion barrels of shale oil in the Weald Basin – that stretches across Sussex and neighbouring counties.

However, as the government introduced new laws on rights to access land in an effort to speed up the introduction, the BGS warned there is “no significant gas resource”.

According to reports, the BGS figure represents the total amount of oil in the rocks, only some of which can be accessed.

Experts added they did not know what percentage of the oil present in the shale could be commercially extracted.

But campaigners said it would cause panic across the region.

Brighton-based Brenda Pollack, Friends of the Earth’s south east regional campaigner, said: “These latest estimates will set alarm bells ringing across the south east of England where fracking firms seem intent on punching holes in some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside in the search for profits.

“No wonder the Government waited until after the elections to make this announcement as Lord Howell recently warned that fracking will cost the Tories thousands of votes in their heartlands.

“Shale oil and gas are not the solution to the UK’s energy challenges. Rather than drilling for more dirty fossil fuels that will add to climate change, the Government should be backing renewable power and energy efficiency.”