50 officers break up OAP fracking protest

A PENSIONERS’ knitting circle was broken up by 50 uniformed police officers as they protested at a controversial fracking site.

The protest was an extension of a weekly silent “call for calm” by female protesters at Cuadrilla’s shale gas drilling site in Preston New Road near Preston, Lancashire.

As tensions escalated, the pensioners chanted “Shame on you” as a wall of officers in high-vis jackets moved them on.

Sharm Graves, who travelled from Scotland to attend the protest last Wednesday, filmed police moving one group of grandmothers out of the way so that water tankers could exit the premises.

She told The Daily Telegraph: “They were a disgrace to the uniform. It came from nothing. They blocked off one circle, they broke a chair, they cut our wool. Most of the ladies in that circle were at least in their 60s, some were much older.”

She said once a week for 40 weeks the police had allowed a peaceful protest.

Cuadrilla has completed the UK’S first horizontal shale gas well at the site, with plans to begin fracking later in the year.

The site has seen repeated protests by environmentalists. Lancashire police said around 100 officers were directly involved in policing of the fracking operation. The force estimated the cost at around £450,000 a month.

A police spokesperson said: “As has been demonstrated when campaigners have carried out ‘lock-ons’, it is essential to have the number of officers at the site that are currently allocated to the operation.

“Public safety is our main priority and having this number of officers available is essential for ensuring all parties remain safe.”