CAMPAIGNERS from Kendal visited Preston County Hall on Monday to join protestors in their fight against a controversial fracking application.

The activists last week joined a demo outside the offices of Lancashire County Council and saw an application to explore for shale gas at Roseacre Wood, east of Blackpool, rejected.

And this week they were equally delighted when county councillors voted 9-3 to refuse an application from Cuadrilla to frack at Preston New Road, Little Plumpton.

The Roseacre Wood application was refused last Thursday, in line with planning officers’ recommendations.

However, officers had recommended that the Preston New Road application be approved.

Councillors voted to defer the decision until Monday while they considered legal advice from the council suggesting that refusal would be unreasonable.

However, having also received alternative legal advice prepared on behalf of Friends of the Earth and Preston New Road Action Group, councillors voted overwhelmingly to refuse the application on the grounds of visual impact and unacceptable noise.

There were jubilant scenes as voting inside the council chambers was live-streamed to the protesters outside.

Bryan Burrow, one of the Kendal protesters, said: “We could hardly believe our ears as the final votes were read out. Despite the huge pressure on councillors to approve the applications, they instead listened to the concerns of their constituents and the mounting evidence of the harm that fracking can cause, and they voted with their consciences. This is a great day for democracy!”