The petition calling on the Environment Agency not to grant environmental permits for proposed oil drilling at Leith Hill has more than 88,000 signatures.

The Environment Agency is still considering the permit applications. If you haven’t signed the petition yet, please do – and share the link: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/protect-leith-hill

Meanwhile, the oil companies continue to push their plans to drill in Surrey. This week:

• UKOG announced they will seek consent for production and extra wells at Horse Hill. They already have planning permission for extended flow testing of the existing well and drilling of two new wells.
• Angus Energy submitted a new planning application for Brockham.

We wish a very merry festive season to all those fighting to defend our countryside, our communities and our planet from this dangerous and completely pointless industry.

With evidence piling up that we need to move away from fossil fuels with great urgency, it is hard to understand why these gamblers are allowed to pursue their plans to extract oil that we simply can’t afford to use.

Here’s hoping for a saner and safer world in 2018.