A SURREY MP says fracking should be tolerated for the good of the nation.
Reigate Crispin Blunt says the controversial drilling technique which has sparked increasingly high-profile protests in Balcombe, a few miles from the county border, is "essential".
Anti-fracking campaigners argue it will cause huge environmental damage. They fear it will happen in Balcombe and could come to East Surrey where drilling licences covering large chunks of land, and held by a number of firms, are in place. All need extra permission to frack.
The Mirror asked these companies about their plans. All responded saying they "currently" do not have plans to commence fracking, although not all would rule it out in the future.
Mr Blunt this week told the Mirror he agreed with David Cameron who has called for the country to "back" fracking.
"Having been a former energy spokesman for the Conservative party my position is pretty similar to that of the Prime Minister," he said.
"Fracking is going to produce a very significant bonus for us, replacing coal-fired energy generation with gas-fired energy generation is a considerable advantage as far as climate change goes.
"It is an opportunity we should take. For society as a whole, it is essential.
"It is recognised that, for the nuisance that is created, there is some balancing contribution to the local community for having to put up with that for however long the extraction is going to take.
"It is rather like playing host to a waste tip.
"There should be some measures put in place to make sure the local community benefits.
"If sources of gas for fracking happen to be found under the Reigate constituency, energy supplies are so important we have got to play our part," he added.
Exploratory oil drilling by Cuadrilla at Balcombe in West Sussex has sparked mass month-long protests, with dozens arrested including Green Party MP Caroline Lucas.
The firm, which is styling itself as a "model company" for "unconventional exploration" in the UK, also holds three other licences in East Surrey, in the Lingfield area.
But spokeswoman Lindsay McCallum said Cuadrilla "currently has no intention to undertake exploratory drilling anywhere other than at the Balcombe well".
American oil exploration company Magellan Petroleum own two drilling licences which cover the south of Reigate and Redhill, and include Leigh, Sidlow, Charlwood, Horley, Smallfield and Burstow within their borders.
On its website, the company states: "Recent discoveries aided by advances in technology indicate the potential for a significant new resource play onshore UK. Magellan has assembled a large acreage position in southern England to capitalize [sic] on these emerging trends."
Speaking from Denver, a spokesman said: "We haven't disclosed any plans or intentions with those licences."
He added: "We may be in the middle of making plans but until they are firm we are not able to publicly comment."
IGas, which plans to drill an exploratory well for fracking in the north west this year, holds three licences covering South Nutfield, Godstone and Oxted.
Spokeswoman Georgina Gilbert said: "IGas has no current or short-term plans to explore for shale in the South of England."
