Barclays bank targeted by anti-fracking petition on Manchester Oxford road

By Jasmine Rigby on 25th October 2016 in News

A PETITION protesting against the funding of fracking against Barclays Bank took place on Manchester Oxford road yesterday.

The protest comes alongside statistics revealing that fracking support has decreased severely in the last year.

A YouGov poll shows the support for fracking has decreased from 46.5% last year to 37.3% this year and has fallen from 58% in the year of 2013 leaving this year as the word year yet.

Stephen Pennells spoke on behalf of the anti-fracking against Barkley’s bank campaign: “I’m protesting about Barclays involvement in owning 97% in third energy and therefore their involvement of fracking in Rydele in Yorkshire.

“There is environmental issues, there is the climate change issues but the really big issue is from Barclays point of view is that it is bad business.

“Part of the issue is that there are already many times more coal and oil and gas identified than we can burn without getting climate change running away.

“What is going to happen is businesses that don’t get out of fossil fuels are going to be trapped with toxic acids or stranded ashes ones they cannot cash in.”

The poll demonstrates that only a small proportion of the public are confident that shale gas is an environmental friendly energy source.

Environment Engineer, Tony Hall, speaks with confidence for it saying: “There is more pro’s than con’s, it can create a lot of jobs and would benefit those struggling to find work in the Manchester surroundings.

“The workers know what they are doing when drilling and ensure they are protecting the environment.”

There are no specific facts as of yet why the numbers have reduced, however, figures of the public who link fracking with water contamination has increased.

Campaign officer for Lancashire Wild trust, Alan Wright, reinforced this point:

“The Wildlife Trust at present is opposed to fracking and that is because we have asked a number of questions concerning how they intent do deal with the waste water from the fracking process and we haven’t had satisfactory answers back as to what they are going to do with this water which we believe could be a danger to the public and environment.”

Areas in Lancashire that are popular for wildlife have recently been targeted as possible sites for fracking which left Manchester residents unhappy that the fracking could go ahead despite the lack of support.