Britain calls halt on fracking following government U-turn

The British government called a halt Saturday to the controversial process of "fracking" due to fears it could trigger earthquakes in a surprise U-turn just weeks before a general election.

Until now, Britain had hoped that fracking - banned in many countries, but booming in the United States - could help secure its future energy independence. But with just a few weeks to go before Britain goes to the polls - where environmental issues are expected to feature prominently - Business and Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom announced a "moratorium" at what is currently the UK's only operational shale gas well in Lancashire, northwest England. "I have concluded that we should put a moratorium on fracking in England with immediate effect," Leadsom said. "It is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community."

The U-turn follows a report by Britain's Oil and Gas Authority into recent seismic activity at Preston New Road, a site operated by exploration and production company Cuadrilla.

The OGA report found that it was not currently possible to accurately predict the technology's potential for triggering earthquakes. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had "very considerable anxieties" about the extraction of shale gas. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissed the government's about-turn as merely a PR stunt ahead of the general election.

"The Conservatives' temporary pause of fracking is an election stunt to try and win a few votes," he tweeted.

"Boris Johnson described fracking as 'glorious news for humanity'. We cannot trust him."

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is used to release oil and gas locked deep underground.

It is carried out by blasting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals underground to release shale oil and gas. Environmentalists argue that the process contaminates water supplies, hurts wildlife, causes earthquakes and contributes to global climate change.

It is banned in many countries, including France and Germany, and the United Kingdom's other constituent members - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are opposed to it.