Gatwick earthquakes: MEP calls for action
The call has come from European Parliament member for the south east Keith Taylor who says that a report from geoscientists points the finger at the oil site being responsible.
Houses shook in the Gatwick area and parts of Crawley on February 14 when a 2.4 magnitude quake struck at 7.43am. A second smaller tremor followed just after 8am.
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Hide AdThe region - from Dorking and Charlwood to as far south as Horsham - was hit by a string of quakes over a four month period last year.
Green MEP Keith Taylor said after the latest tremor that a new report from scientists at the University of Edinburgh sugggested that drilling at Horse Hill north of Gatwick could be responsible. He called on Surrey County Council to refuse a planning application from Horse Hill Developments to continue activities at the site.
He asked the council to bring an end to what he described as this ‘dangerous, climate and environment-destructive misadventure.’
In December, the Oil and Gas Authority - the government-owned regulators of the oil and gas industry - ruled out a human cause for the earthquake swarm. But the new University of Edinburgh report says one possible cause for the quakes could be the release of pressure at the well site.
Horse Hill Developments, which plans to start a 150-day production testing programme soon, has been approached for comment.