Fracking has led before to air pollution

Everyone who is uncertain, or who thinks that it will not cause horrific pollution in the air and groundwater should watch a disturbing film from America, called Gasland, which was aired on the Current channel and may still be available online.

Over large swathes of America, where fracking for gas is commonplace, the groundwater and air are so polluted that people can set fire to their tapwater, and are being made very sick from drinking it.

After seeing this film, I do not want fracking for gas anywhere near where I live.

Yes, perhaps health and safety standards have improved since this film was made, and perhaps regulations have been tightened by the British government, but the potential for pollution of the groundwater that could cause a massive increase in health problems for all who drink it remains.

Also, I can’t understand why no-one seems to have thought of using an abundant, renewable resource for creating fuel that will remain long after the coal, oil and gas has run out – the gas given off by sewage treatment plants and landfill sites.

Why can’t this be collected, processed and used as an infinitely renewable source of fuel?

As long as people and animals exist, and make waste, the raw material will be there and the adjustments needed to make use of this can’t be much more expensive than the prohibitive cost of drilling deep into the ground, sending explosives down and placing them, forcing water, sand and toxic chemicals down to the shale beds under high pressure and pumping the released gas back up.

This technology is not beyond the limits of current technology.

Third-world countries in Africa have been making use of ‘biogas’ – gas from decomposing animal waste – as fuel for decades.

That is also something that the planners proposing the biomass fuel plant proposed near residential areas in Southampton might like to think about.

Laurel Wingield, Lordshill, Southampton