Anti-fracking protest in Blackpool ahead of new report

Protesters have climbed a drilling rig ahead of the publication of a report into whether shale gas test drilling caused earth tremors in Lancashire.

The findings will be published at 09:00 GMT and will be given to the government to decide whether energy firm Cuadrilla can resume the tests near Blackpool.

The tremors in April and May were thought to have centred near Poulton-Le-Fylde.

Nine anti-fracking demonstrators have climbed a rig in Hesketh Bank.

The group, called Frack Off, aims to sit on top of the rig for as long as possible.

In September, protesters set up a camp in Hesketh Bank calling for an end to fracking, a controversial extraction process which blasts water into rock to release gas.

Cuadrilla suspended fracking operations near Blackpool in June, over fears of a link to the two minor earthquakes.

The process has caused controversy in the US where some householders claim that shale gas leaking into their drinking supply causes tap water to ignite.