Parish councillors seek Saddleworth and Oldham fracking ban

Parish councillor John Battye

Two parish councillors are to ask for a ban on fracking across the Saddleworth community and Oldham.

Councillors John Battye and Kathryn Phillips will move a notice of motion at Saddleworth Parish Council's next  meeting on Monday (October 24) in the wake of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's reinstated government policy to allow fracking were there is local consent.

Cllr Battye and Cllr Phillips believe this would be particularly dangerous in Oldham due to its industrial past of drift and deep coal mining to power the hundred of mills and heat homes of the cotton workers' families.

And Cllr Battye pointed to three main reasons why Oldham became the largest cotton spinning town in the world.  

The damp climate meant cotton threads broke less easily, backed by a plentiful supply of soft clean water with coal at or near the surface.

He said as demand for coal grew, the drift mines driven into the hillsides were abandoned and deeper mines up to a 1000ft deep were needed.

“Over decades these shafts and galleries were abandoned. Many mines were uncharted and are still found today when new and existing sites are developed,” he explained.

“These shafts and galleries flood with water contaminated with heavy metals and arsenic plus build-ups of explosive methane/fire damp occur.

“So what will happen if fracking occurs deep below these shafts and galleries? 

“The minor earthquakes caused by fracking will eventually collapse these abandoned workings and contaminated water will be forced elsewhere threatening the local clean water gathered in our streams and reservoirs.

“The methane will escape to the atmosphere a gas 25 times more likely to contribute to climate change than CO2."

He added: “We hope all Parish Councillors will support this motion and ask Shaw Parish and Oldham Council to also support this motion .

“This will demonstrate to the Government there will be no local consent to fracking in Saddleworth and the rest of Oldham.”

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