More than 71,000 hectares of protected countryside in the south-east face risk of drilling

Parts of the South Downs national park, above, in Weald, are at risk from oil and gas exploration, says Greenpeace. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Published on The Guardian website on 15th March 2018
Story by Adam Vaughan

More than 71,000 hectares (177,000 acres) of protected countryside, including national park land, in the south-east of England are at risk from a new wave of oil drilling, environmental campaigners have warned.

Under threat are areas of outstanding natural beauty in the Weald, which runs between the north and south downs, and the South Downs national park, Greenpeace said.

A mapping analysis by the group found that around 71,000 hectares of protected areas overlap with oil and gas exploration licenses awarded by the government for the south-east, across an area stretching from the Surrey Hills in the east to the Isle of Wight to the west.

The warning comes as campaigners in Surrey prepare to deliver a petition with more than 100,000 signatures against plans for an oil well at Holmwood, south of Dorking.

Continue reading New oil threat looms over England’s national park land, campaigners warn