HAMPSHIRE people must accept fracking for shale gas, a senior Government minister has said – describing the supposed dangers as “myth-peddling”.

Business minister, Michael Fallon, said it was likely that even more gas reserves would be found across the south than currently believed.

And he urged residents to recognise the big economic boost – including lower energy bills – from exploiting the new technology.

Mr Fallon pointed to the fact that twice as much shale gas had been found under the north west of England as initially thought.

And he said: “The same survey is now being done of the southern base, roughly from Dorset through Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

“We will know in March whether there is much more there than was originally thought.”

Mr Fallon added: “If we can extract shale gas as cheaply and efficiently as they have done in the United States, everybody benefits.”

The bullish stance will alarm opponents of fracking, which involves blasting underground rock deposits with water, to release trapped pockets of gas.

The Daily Echo revealed in May, that eight drilling licences for possible fracking had already been issued to gas companies, at sites across South Hampshire.

But the alarm has been raised over groundwater contamination and toxic air around sites. In the Blackpool area, fracking was blamed for causing small earthquakes.

George Hollingbery, the Tory MP for Meon Valley, warned it could be “disastrous” in the Hampshire Downs, which relies on groundwater and extraction from rivers.

Mr Fallon admitted fracking would cause “disturbance”, adding: “It’s right the community should be compensated.

“That’s why there is compensation to the community of £100,000 per exploration well and then one per cent of profits, which could amount to several million pounds.”

But the minister dismissed scare stories about shale gas, saying: “There’s no evidence that fracking leads to groundwater contamination. “We have a very robust system of regulation in place to control emissions and ensure it is done safely.”

Mr Fallon urged developers to “engage early” with communities affected, adding: “They need to deal with some of the myth-peddling about and show people it is safe and that there may be considerable benefits.”

The minister was speaking after the furore over a Conservative peer’s comment that “desolate” areas of the north east should be targeted for fracking.

Dismissing that attitude, Mr Fallon said: “It cannot be right to confine it to areas of the industrial north.”

It is unlikely that all eight Hampshire sites would be fracked – even if drilling went ahead – because many have the potential to generate conventional gas instead.