Campaigners held a protest with a difference yesterday at an anti-fracking tea party.

Balcombe residents opposing the plans held the traditional tea party outside the Sussex site where Cuadrilla Resources is digging a fracking exploration well.

The peaceful protest was backed by Friends of the Earth.

South-east regional campaigner Brenda Pollock said: “Shale gas will do little to tackle rising energy bills.

“Its extraction will have a damaging impact on local communities and their environment and pump more climate-changing emissions into the atmosphere.”

Last week a drilling rig was set up near Balcombe to start exploratory drills for natural oil.

If it is found Cuadrilla will apply for a licence for fracking, which involves blasting water and sand at high pressure deep underground to cause mini-explosions which release shale gas.

In response, the local community set up Rigwatch to monitor Cuadrilla’s activities.

Carol Dawes, from Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth, said: “We totally support the people in West Sussex who are fighting fracking.

“This energy process will industrialise the Sussex landscape and undermine investment in clean, renewable energy.”

'Any means possible'

A public consultation is now under way as Cuadrilla has applied to the Environment Agency for a mining waste permit.

The waste water may contain naturally-occurring radioactive substances that are present in many types of rocks, which needs an environmental permit.

Vanessa Vine, a campaigner from Frack Free Sussex, accused the company of “trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes”.

She said: “We don’t want them anywhere near our village or anywhere else.

“When this process starts, campaigners will try to disrupt it by any means possible.

“If they find anything, they’ll frack it. They’re not just drilling for fun.”

Francis Egan, Cuadrilla’s chief executive, said: “Although this summer’s work will be unobtrusive, we’re fully aware that local people will have many questions about our plans and we’ll do our best to answer all of them.

“During the coming months, we will discuss our plans with residents and they will be able to visit the site to see for themselves what our work involves.”