I was pleased to learn that Oxfordshire is to be an exclusion buffer zone that prohibits fracking permanently.

It seems that there are some definite advantages in having our own prime minister living right on our doorstep in this very wealthy county.

Oxfordshire has some very wealthy citizens living in very expensive houses.

A recent study into fracking showed that the value of a home or farm near to a drilling operation would be halved or worse.

Today’s letters

 

This finding was quickly redacted or hidden in the report by civil servants, who were keen to avoid panic.

However, I have no doubt that this economic finding would have been observed and acted upon by our locally residing prime minster.

Prime Minister David Cameron would not have wished to upset the local apple cart too much.

Thus we serendipitously find ourselves in an exclusion zone.

Regarding the environmental concerns, shale gas is a low carbon energy source and we do need more gas.

However, the concomitant infrastucture associated with fracking is not so clean.

Diesel burning lorries will be needed and they will pollute the air with dirty carcinogenic emissions.

In theory there is no risk to our water aquifers.

In practice, water tables will be polluted if the sides of the well wall leaks.

This has happened in America and tap water could be set on fire.

So it looks like we have dodged an environmental bullet here thanks to the wealthy property found in Oxfordshire.

Susan Thomas, Magdalen Road, Oxford

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