Environmental campaigners accused ministers of cherry-picking from a new report yesterday to justify their mad dash for shale gas.

Engineering giant Amec said fracking would bring in between 16,000 and 32,000 jobs and plough £100,000 into each local community hosting the gas extraction in their government-commissioned report.

Energy Minister Michael Fallon beamed at the "exciting prospect" of unlocking shale gas potential.

It "could bring growth, jobs and energy security," he said, promising "robust regulation."

But the Tory minister was less keen to highlight the negative aspects in the report.

Shale gas could produce 108 million cubic metres of wastewater, placing a "significant burden" on waste treatment infrastructure.

It could also increase greenhouse gas emissions by around 15 per cent of the industry's total, although that might be offset by reductions in importing gas from abroad.

And quiet villages could become clogged up with traffic as lorries drive back and forth from sites up to 51 times a day.

Consultations are slated to run until March, while the government plans to offer up more exploratory licences in the summer.

The process has proved to be hugely controversial, sparking protests in areas including Balcombe in Sussex and Barton Moss in Salford.

Greenpeace energy campaigner Anna Jones said: "Michael Fallon is desperate to put a positive spin on this report but what it actually shows is that the government wants to open two-thirds of England up to fracking, with all the associated risks."

She said that Mr Fallon had ignored the report's lower job estimate of just 2,500.

Friends of the Earth's Tony Bosworth added: "The government admits shale gas and coal bed methane development could have significant impacts on local people and the environment, while experts say they won't bring down energy bills."

And environmental consultant Dr David Lowry highlighted the risks of radioactive substances unearthed from fracking polluting water supplies, saying the report ignored the issue.

He told the Star: "This is supremely misguided and massively misleading by omission."