FRACKING company Cuadrilla plans to ride roughshod over local people’s wishes by requesting authorisation to continue its controversial gas extraction work in Lancashire for longer.

Three years ago, Cuadrilla, which operates the fracking site at Preston New Road, near Blackpool, was refused planning permission to operate by Lancashire County Council, which was then Labour-controlled.

The company appealed and the local authority was overruled by then communities secretary Sajid Javid.

Local people and environmental activists then established a permanent protest camp near the site.

Since drilling began, work has been halted five times due to earth tremors exceeding a statutory maximum magnitude of 0.5.

Cuadrilla has permission to continue operating until November, but has asked the council – which is now under Tory control – for an 18-month extension. Local campaigners expect the request to be granted.

Claire Stephenson of campaign group Lancashire Against Fracking told the Morning Star: “Last night [Monday], there was a community liaison meeting with Cuadrilla. They said they were going to apply for an extension of 12 months, now they are asking for 18 months.

“I think the company is seeing the government in such a state that they want to get in quickly, because if the Tory government falls, then an end to fracking is likely.

“Cuadrilla are not good neighbours. They are bad neighbours,”  Ms Stephenson added.

Last week, campaigners staged three days of action at Cuadrilla’s fracking site, including one involving the Extinction Rebellion movement.

Ms Stephenson continued: “Jeremy Corbyn also visited the site. He completely shunned Cuadrilla. They invited him in for a cup of tea, but he ignored them. Instead, he had a cup of tea with the protesters.”

Fracking involves drilling into shale rock layers deep underground, then pumping in a toxic mixture of chemicals, sand and water to smash the shale rock to pieces to release trapped gas.

Opponents say that, as well as industrialising the countryside, the process can cause earthquakes, pollute water supplies and damage the environment.