ANTI-FRACKING campaigners created a mock drilling site in Devizes town centre in protest at Government plans they say will allow firms to drill at will.

Members of Sustainable Devizes and Transition Marlborough joined forces to drive home their message that exploratory drilling for gas will destroy the countryside.

They want Devizes MP Claire Perry, who in her role as energy minister is one of the architects of the proposal, to know the strong opposition of some of her constituents.

Milly Carmichael of Transition Marlborough said: "Gas drilling rigs can be up to 50 metres high and the well sites can be the size of the Brittox. But the government wants to include them in legislation designed to make it easier to put up a garden shed.

"This would stifle the voice of local communities over major industrial development in the countryside.

"Our local MP Claire Perry is one of the architects of these plans. Although they won’t affect Wiltshire directly, we want her to know that people in her constituency don’t support what the government wants to do."

The protesters wearing high-vis jackets were in The Brittox on Saturday and cordoned off an area to represent a drilling zone.

Margaret Green of Sustainable Devizes said: "Clare Perry’s plans are under fire, with Conservative MPs and Conservative-controlled councils around the country speaking out against them. This isn’t about fracking – it’s about local democracy. The government must let communities decide."

The protesters says the Government wants to reduce the voice of local people by allowing drilling under permitted development rules. Ms Carmichael said: "These rules which were originally designed for minor home improvements like putting up a garden shed, not major oil or gas drilling infrastructure.

"This would mean that fracking companies could drill without the need to apply for planning permission."

Members of the Green Party also took part in the protest which attracted a lot of interest among shoppers some of whom were a little worried that the London Road roadworks had moved into the centre of town when they saw the hard hats and bright jackets.

Devizes MP Claire Perry said: “Millions use gas to heat their homes and cook meals, and we’re importing more gas than ever. But we have the chance to explore a potentially really valuable source of shale gas, which scientists can extract safely and securely.

“In every scenario proposed by the Committee on Climate Change to meet our carbon reduction commitments, gas has an important role to play. Renewables are growing rapidly – 30% of our energy came from renewables last year – but gas remains an important part of our energy generation for years to come. The shale industry has the potential to create many high-skilled, high-paid jobs, particularly in parts of the country which are struggling. That is why the GMB Union also strongly supports shale extraction.

“We are currently going through a consultation process to see how we can make the planning system work better for industry and local decision makers. I hope that everyone who joined the event in Devizes will make their views known as part of the consultation process.

“We don’t have any shale resources in the Devizes Constituency, but if we did I would support its extraction so that Constituents could benefit from cheaper UK gas.

“There are lots of questions on shale, and too often the answers are inaccurate. I would encourage everyone to check out the Shale Myth Buster on my website: https://www.claireperry.org.uk/news/shale-myth-buster.”