David Cameron's home was turned into a "fracking site" by Greenpeace Wednesday as controversial legislation clearing the way for under-house drilling is expected to be announced in the Queen’s Speech later today.
Police were called after activists in hard hats and high-vis jackets turned up on the doorstep of the Prime Minister’s period cottage in the Cotswold hamlet of Dean, Oxfordshire, this morning. They also sealed off the property’s front gate with security fencing.
Protesters erected a sign which read "We apologise for any inconvenience we may cause while we frack under your home", and ordered complaints to be directed to Cameron's office.
Greenpeace said the stunt was a protest against legislation expected to be announced in the Queen's Speech, which the charity says will clear the way for fracking firms to drill under people's land and property without their permission.
Campaigners also delivered a giant cheque for £50 which they say is the maximum compensation ministers are willing to pay to individual home and landowners for allowing companies to drill under their property.
More than 46,000 people have joined a legal block set up by Greenpeace and based on the access rights homeowners have over the ground below their property, according to Greenpeace.
A recent YouGov survey found three -quarters of people in Britain oppose ministers' plans to strip people of their access rights to clear the way for fracking, the charity said.
Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Simon Clydesdale said: "David Cameron wants to rob people of their right to stop fracking firms drilling under their homes - surely he won't mind if we kick off the under-house fracking revolution below his own garden.
"The Prime Minister is about to auction off over half of Britain to the frackers, including national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty like the Cotswolds. Having failed to reassure people that fracking is safe or good for Britain, Cameron is now railroading it through with a 'bungs and bulldozers' approach.
"Fracking won't deliver energy on a meaningful scale for years, if ever, by which time we'll need to have moved away from dirty fossil fuels and towards high-tech clean power if we're to head off dangerous climate change.
"As ministers chase their imaginary energy Eldorado, the real solutions to boost our energy security, like slashing energy waste and backing renewables, are being sidelined. We'll all pay a price for their shale craze."