UK’s biggest tremor yet hits fracking site

The UK has experienced a 2.9-magnitude tremor near a Cuadrilla fracking site in Blackpool on Monday which has once again raised the alarm about the practice.

The quake caused houses to shake at around 8:30 on Sunday morning and is believed to be the biggest fracking related tremor to have been recorded in Britain.

This has once again raised the alarm about the controversial practice since it is bigger than the 2.3-magnitude quake that brought fracking to a halt in 2011.

The latest quake breaches the government’s 0.5ML limit on seismic activity.

A spokeswoman for the anti-fracking Preston New Action Group said it was “very frightening when you hear a loud bang and things in the house rattle”.

She added: “Given that this quake was felt across Blackpool, the Fylde Coast and beyond, what is likely to have happened beneath the ground to the well at the source? We should not be being subjected to this level of stress and fear. Fracking must be stopped immediately.”

A spokesman for Frack Free Lancashire said: “Enough is enough. People are cowering in their homes and just waiting and wondering when the next quake will be and how much damage it will cause.

“We call upon our local MPs to come off the fence and press for an immediate ban on fracking. We are sick of being treated as human guinea pigs.”