Consultation shows support for ban on fracking in Scotland

Over 1,000 people took part in a consultation exercise launched by South Scotland list MSP Claudia Beamish on whether unconventional oil and gas extraction should be allowed in this country.

A massive 87 per cent of respondents backed a ban on fracking, with 95 per cent admitting concerns about the risks relating to pollution of the earth, water and air, and increased seismic activity.

Labour has proposed a Fracking Ban Bill and says it is time for the Scottish Government to listen to the people and make it law.

He said: “The message from our communities and from the consultation is loud and clear — we do not want fracking.

“When I stood for election, I promised to keep campaigning for a complete and total ban on fracking and I am standing by that promise.”

The Scottish Government is currently carrying out its own consultation on fracking which runs until the end of May,

A moratorium on unconvential oil and gas extraction has been in place since January 2015, and Mr Leonard says a concrete decision is long overdue.

He said: “For too long we have had a sticking plaster solution from the Scottish Government. They’ve given us a pause, not a policy.

“This is about the future, about the air we breathe, the water we drink and the environment we leave behind.”