Will it be black or fool's gold?

ROCKING backwards and forwards as they pump black gold from deep beneath the ground, the sight of so-called nodding donkeys could make you think you were in Texas, USA.

But these classic icons are set to become an increasingly familiar sight across Hampshire - and there could be more to come.

Britain's North Sea oil supply is dwindling, forcing the oilmen into ever more expensive offshore exploration in ever deeper water.

Meanwhile crude oil prices on the world exchanges are busy setting records on an almost daily basis.

All this means prospectors on the hunt for UK oil are turning their attention to cheaper on-shore production in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Already there is oil production just outside Winchester and a company has plans to drill at four sites in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, in the hope of unearthing £31.5m of black gold.

But, because Hampshire sits in the centre of the southern basin - a vast area which has the right conditions to create oil deposits, there may well be more to come.

The southern basin already supports Dorset's Wytch Farm, Europe's largest on-shore oil production facility, where explorations discovered an estimated 500 million barrels of oil.

But, although there are unlikely to be any bigger oil fields found in the region, as the oil price rockets it becomes increasingly viable to investigate smaller concentrations of oil. And those could be found across Hampshire.

Does this mean that we'll be seeing an invasion of oil derricks to match the invasion of mobile phone masts that have spread across the county in the past decade?

Southampton University professor of ocean and earth science Dorrik Stow is an expert in petroleum geology.

He said: "Certainly oil is, if you like, running out. There are various places that people are looking now. One of the huge moves is into offshore exploration, in very deep water. Coupled with that, and much less expensive, is a move to go on land and look for reserves. These are cheaper to explore and to produce oil from.

"With respect to onshore exploration possibilities in the UK there are two options. There is the southern England basin, which includes the Dorset coast, the Isle of Wight and Hampshire and one in the East Midlands.

"What is needed for oil is a thick accumulation of sediment, things like sand and gravel, that are piled up. That occurs in what we call a basin and that is a precursor to finding oil.

"We known the southern English basin is capable of generating oil because of Wytch Farm. We know there are traps - places oil is trapped underground - and it is possible there are more pockets in this region."

Professor Stow said that when the price was right on the international oil markets, it made economic sense to extract smaller pockets.

"It is entirely an economic thing," he said. "When the price is right it is worth hiring the drilling platform to extract from a small pocket. With dwindling supplies and increasing costs you can see them moving on to smaller pockets on land as well as looking off-shore."

One of the first areas to see this up close could be Hedge End, where the oilmen already have an application to drill lodged with the local council.

As the Daily Echo reported last week, Northern Petroleum has applied to Hampshire County Council for an exploratory oil drill to see if black gold discovered two decades ago can be recovered from beneath Hedge End.

If civic chiefs support the plans, then residents could see a 36-metre mast in place within months as a rig is installed for up to seven weeks of 24-hour drilling at a site off Woodside Avenue, in an operation that could last up to three years.

Neighbours near the proposed site, are outraged that they have not been notified by the oil company and kick-started their "say no" campaign this week by handing out leaflets to parents outside Berrywood Primary School, which lies 400 metres from the planned drilling site.

The protesters feel the 36-metre mast will be an eyesore for local residents, and the noise pollution from the 24-hour drilling will be disruptive during the night.

They also raised concerns about the large number of lorry movements that will be required in the preparation of the site and the noise and traffic disruption that this will cause.

Peter Burford, 45, a computer software developer, lives in Brunel Close, about 350 metres away from the site and has a son at the school.

"Noise pollution is our biggest concern," he said. "But we are also worried about the effects on the environment and we cannot simply sit by and wait until the council have put the application through.

"We are going to have a giant 36 metre mast and 24-hour drilling near our homes, and our children's school. The least Northern Petroleum could have done is come and spoken to local residents," he said.

After hearing about the plans, Mr Burford immediately set up a website.

Stopping parents outside Berrywood Primary School, Mr Burford said: "They think I'm joking. No one has heard about it and they can't believe it could happen so soon."

"The only time we knew about it was when a neighbour saw a notice on a post, but how is that supposed to inform everybody?"

The nearest housing to the proposed site is in Stag Drive, which is part of a new development of Barratt Homes, which lies 300 metres away.

Northern Petroleum managing director Derek Musgrove told the Daily Echo that if the plans go ahead it would have a minimal impact on the community.

"We will arrange a meeting with local residents soon to show them what is planned and to clear up any misleading arguments," he said.

"We can't do this project without any impact at all, but we believe it will be very minimal, and we will look to show them this clearly."

What do you think? Call Newsdesk on 023 8042 4522 or e-mail: newsdesk@soton-echo.co.uk