FRACKING objectors have warned South Downs National Park and Surrey Hills’ Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will still be at risk of fracking, despite the Government pledge of an “outright ban”.

This week, Friends of the Earth warned it had received new legal advice that national parks, including South Downs, and areas of outstanding natural beauty, including Surrey Hills, would not be protected if “weakened ” draft regulations become law.

In January, MP Amber Rudd, now Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, told Parliament: “We have agreed an outright ban on fracking in national parks, sites of special scientific interest and areas of outstanding natural beauty.”

Fernhurst anti-fracking campaigners applauded the unanimous decision by South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) last year to reject Celtique Energie’s application to test drill for shale gas and oil near the village.

Celtique was poised to appeal but decided not to go ahead in March due to the government’s stricter stance on drilling for shale gas and oil in national parks.

Objectors now fear a fresh application could be lodged, either by Celtique or by another energy company when the exploration development licence expires next July.

The legal advice just received by FoE concluded that the Government’s draft regulations will not, in practice, provide the additional protection needed to safeguard these areas.

FoE is also concerned companies would also be allowed to frack through drinking water aquifers and other areas that are designated to protect water sources.

The campaign group warned that would put drinking water aquifers at risk, and the other areas designated to protect drinking water sources, including under Haslemere.

Last week, when the Government’s delegated legislative committee met to discuss the draft onshore hydraulic fracturing (protected areas) regulations, it was confirmed it will not bring forward any additional protections for protected wildlife sites or sites of special scientific interest, putting these highly sensitive areas under threat.

Following the meeting, Shadow Energy and Environment Secretaries Lisa Nandy and Kerry McCarthy penned and open letter to their Tory counterparts – Amber Rudd and Liz Truss – insisting such “important issues should be subject to a debate and a vote of the whole House.

“We remain concerned these new regulations will allow shale gas drilling to take place in many drinking water protection zones, important wildlife sites and below our national parks and world heritage sites,” they wrote.

“We absolutely believe these weakened regulations fail to provide critical environmental safeguards, which must be re-introduced before any further developments in fracking can take place. Nothing that was said in committee has allayed our concerns.

“We believe there should be an opportunity for all MPs to debate and discuss this issue. In the absence of this full debate, we believe all MPs should still have the opportunity to vote on whether they support a weakening of the regulations regarding shale gas exploration.

“We are concerned to see the Government have still not brought forward the motion to agree the regulations. Could you confirm whether the government intends to press ahead and if so, can you confirm when you will be bringing forward the motion and the date of when a vote will take place on them?

“While we would be delighted if the Government have had a change of heart, we are concerned you are trying to push this through at short notice giving MPs and the public very little notice ahead of a deferred division or attempt through parliamentary procedural trickery to have a vote with less than a day’s notice.”

Celtique’s decision not to go to appeal against the refusal of planning permission by the SDNPA for the drilling of a single exploration well at Fernhurst, followed the government’s pledge of an outright ban on fracking in national parks.

Announcing the decision a company spokesman said in March: “At present there is too much uncertainty over how this test will be applied in practice to justify investment in national parks.”

Responding to the FoE’s latest legal advice, South East campaigner Brenda Pollack warned fresh applications for exploratory drilling could be submitted if weakened regulations are agreed.

“It is unacceptable that the government is trying to allow fracking through drinking water aquifers and in our national parks,” she said. “This is a U-turn on their earlier commitments.

“The rejection still stands for the Fernhurst site. But Celtique have petroleum exploration development licences across the national park area and could re-apply at another site in or near the national park.

“They could also sell or relinquish their licence and then another company could apply for it.”