British shale company Cuadrilla keeps protestors at bay

LONDON, Aug. 29 (UPI) —

British shale pioneer Cuadrilla Resources said it scored a victory in court with a ruling preventing trespassing on proposed gas exploration sites.

A court in Manchester passed an interim measure preventing trespassing on land secured by the company for shale natural gas exploration.

Francis Egan, the company’s chief executive officer, said the injunction was a victory in its controversial campaign in the country.

"We hope the court’s ruling will help deter this kind of unlawful behavior in the future," he said in a statement Thursday.

Cuadrilla last year witnessed rowdy demonstrations in the southern British village of Balcombe. The company’s exploratory drilling program led demonstrators to believe hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, would be next for the site.

Local police last year said they were frustrated with "the criminal activities" of some of the protest groups.

The British government says shale resources could ensure energy security for a country where imports will account for more than half of the country’s demands in the coming decades. Advocacy groups have expressed concern that some of the chemicals used in the extraction process could harm the environment.