Time For A Complete Ban on Onshore Fossil Fuels
Putting People and the Countryside First
Across the United Kingdom, people from all walks of life united behind a clear and simple message: Fracking was incompatible with the well-being of rural communities and the future of our environment. In 2019, following sustained public pressure from activists, campaigners and communities and mounting evidence of the risks, including earthquakes, the Johnson government put a moratorium on fracking; a landmark decision that reflected the will of the people and marked a turning point in UK approach to energy policy.
Frack Free United, an apolitical coalition of residents, campaigners, and concerned citizens, played a key role in targeting this movement directly into the political conferences and parliament, and advocating that only a total ban on all forms of unconventional onshore fossil fuel extraction could offer the protection and certainty our communities deserve. The 2019 moratorium stands as a testament to the power of collective action and the enduring commitment to safeguarding both our local environments and the future of our countryside.
But, in 2025, the reality facing towns and villages across the country is all too familiar. The mission creep of gas applications is happening all over again, in Scarborough and Ryedale, East Yorkshire, planning extensions in Lancashire and legal cases fought in the South. We now see Reform UK and some conservatives touting fracking as their main energy policy choice, against all the evidence that it simply won’t work in the UK and drive our bills up further.
Local people face the threat and disruption of potential earthquakes, air pollution, and risks to water supplies. The constant noise, heavy traffic, and industrialisation that will chip away at the tranquillity and character of our rural landscapes, undermining the quality of daily life.
Despite the well-documented concerns and strong scientific consensus, the national conversation remains clouded by vague definitions of techniques and loopholes, exploited by lobbyists and company planners. Too often, the public is left confused by shifting government language around “conventional” extraction and frustrated as new projects are being pushed through under the banner of energy security without proper transparency or accountability. This piecemeal approach leaves communities to fight their own battles, pitted against well-funded energy companies, while meaningful national protections remain out of reach.
The Frack Free United position is clearer than ever: it is time to move beyond half-measures, political point-scoring, and ambiguous promises. The patchwork of local decisions and inconsistent enforcement does not add up to real protection. Only a complete, unequivocal ban on all forms of onshore fossil fuel extraction can end the uncertainty. Such a ban would send a strong signal that the future is based on clean, renewable energy and that the days of risking our countryside for short-term gain are over.
Our call is not about party politics—it is about putting people, local environments, and public health ahead of vested interests. Communities across the country stood up before with one voice: they want clarity, safety, and a genuine commitment to safeguarding their way of life.
Frack Free United urges all decision-makers to listen, act, and deliver the honest, consistent leadership that has been lacking for too long. The time for ambiguity and compromise has passed. The evidence is clear, and the will of communities is stronger than ever. Now is the moment for a nationwide ban on onshore fossil fuels—a frack free, united future for us all.
Latest Newsletter Aug 2025
Back in 2019, thanks to relentless public pressure from activists, campaigners, and communities, as well as mounting evidence of the dangers, including earthquakes, the government was forced to put the brakes on fracking.
Reform UK and some Conservatives are desperately pushing fracking as their flagship energy policy, despite rock-solid evidence that it’s a non-starter for the UK and would only leave us with higher bills.
Our communities aren’t fooled. We know what’s at stake: earthquakes rattling homes, air pollution, water at risk, round-the-clock noise, and heavy lorries turning peaceful countryside into industrial zones. The cost is too high for our rural communities; our health, our environment, our way of life.
Please share this email with your friends and family. We must not let the companies get a foothold back in our communities.
With our best regards and THANK YOU
Steve and the FFU team
If you know of anyone who wants to become a supporter of Frack Free United, please ask them to sign up here.
Our pledge to you.
Our intention is to keep setting the agenda and continue to put pressure on the government and all political parties to Ban Onshore fossil fuels extraction in the UK. We will continue to work tirelessly to push our message to everyone who has any influence to stop onshore oil and gas exploitation.
Up until Sept 2022, Fracking was the subject to moratorium in England as just before the 2019 election, the UK Government placed a moratorium on fracking in England.
But that has all changed.
We go again, this time in the knowledge that there is no logic, new evidence or case to bring back fracking into our communities.
Moratorium or effective bans are in place many other countries and states around the world.
if you are a Politician, sign our frack free pledge today, If you want to support these politicians join our supporter network.
Check out the Frack Free Myth Buster here
