CAMPAIGNERS hope to rekindle the protest spirit of Balcombe to oppose what they see as the latest fossil fuel threat to the Sussex countryside.

Frack Free Sussex (FFS) is among a number of campaign groups opposed to the drilling at Broadford Bridge with protesters already making attempts to block the entry to the site.

FFS member Lorraine Inglis said opponents felt peaceful protest was the only avenue left as their voices had been ignored.

UKOG chairman Stephen Sanderson claimed protesters were alienating residents by causing the road outside the site to be closed.

Campaigners claim the unconventional drilling at Broadford Bridge is as potentially damaging as fracking with warnings over air pollution, intensive water use, potential drinking water pollution and the risk of leaking wells and faults.

Green MEP Keith Taylor said: “We all know about fracking but acidisation is a well-kept industry secret, it uses a higher concentration of chemicals than hydraulic fracturing.”

Mrs Inglis said: “If acidisation is so benign, why are places like Florida trying to ban it?”

UKOG has dismissed the concerns saying every precaution has been taken to control the site with four industry regulators carrying out weekly inspectors adding there was no risk to the water supply.

The firm said acidisation has been used “safely” in the industry for more than 50 years and that diluted hydrochloric acid being used was similar in strength to that contained in domestic toilet bowl cleaners and limescale removers.

In 2013, a huge protest camp grew in Balcombe where Cuadrilla was carrying out fracking. The company gave up on the scheme a few months later.

Campaigners hope to increase their current numbers of around 18 to a similarly powerful opposing force.

Mrs Inglis said: “Our democratic right has been taken away. We have started with petitions, writing to our MPs, trying to get the Government to take notice.

“The only avenue left open to is protest which is our legal right under the Human Rights Act. I’m not sure we can achieve what we achieved at Balcombe but we will definitely give it a go.

“The industry is using different technology so it is hard for us to raise awareness. What the oil industry says and does are completely different things.”

A review after Balcombe found that Sussex Police had been “caught off guard” and unprepared for the scale of protests.

The force has come in for criticism for its policing at Broadford Bridge already with monitors Netpol claiming officers on the ground were failing to follow assurances made by their seniors to tolerate certain forms of protest.

Seven protesters have been arrested since drilling began.

Chief Inspector Howard Hodges said: “We recognise the right of the landowners and the businesses involved in exploration activities to carry out lawful work on the site without fear of intimidation or obstruction. We also recognise the right for people to assemble and protest in a public place and will always seek to facilitate peaceful protest. This is a fast, rural road and we must be mindful of the dangers posed to everyone where people choose to obstruct the highway or to undertake protest activity very close to traffic.

“We believe our approach is balanced and indeed, on Wednesday, we received a message from one of the protesters attending the site complimenting our officers on their ‘amazing patience and forbearance’ and the fact that they ‘didn’t get angry no matter what the provocation’.”

UKOG’s Mr Sanderson said demand for oil would remain for the forseeable future and it was better for that need to be met within the UK than from abroad.

He said: “There are those who say keep oil in the ground, that’s very nice but we’re pragmatic people and live in the real world.

“In the future there might be substitutes for oil and oil products but that is not going to happen in 15 years.

“Locally produced oil has a much lower carbon footprint, its like locally grown vegetables, and its organic as well.

Mrs Inglis said: “Our message is simple, keep it in the ground. We don’t care where it comes from. Talking about energy security is rubbish, we’ve got to keep it in the ground.”

Mr Taylor said: “It is ludicrous UKOG would suggest unconventional fossil fuel extraction, the kind which threatens not only the natural environment but also effective action on climate change, is similar to ‘growing locally produced organic vegetables’. If UKOG genuinely believes that bizarre claim I suggest they give up on the oil trade and go into the allotment business – we’d all be better off.”