Britain orders halt to fracking following earthquake scare in Lancashire

Fracking in England resumed only last year after two tremors prompted a seven-year moratorium.

Britain will impose an immediate moratorium on fracking, the government announced on Saturday, saying the controversial gas extraction technique risked causing too much disruption to local communities through earth tremors.

The move could win support for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in constituencies in northern England where fracking had been planned, but was dismissed by the opposition Labour party as a “stunt” ahead of December’s election.
 

The government had previously signaled its support for the shale gas industry as it seeks ways to cut Britain’s reliance on imports of natural gas which is used to heat around 80% of Britain’s