Protesters to oppose spread of fracking across Britain Although there is conflicting evidence on the possible dangers of fracking, it has been linked to the contamination of drinking water and air pollution near natural gas wells in America. The gas is known as "energy gold" because it is viewed as an alternative to importing traditional fossil fuels from abroad and there are significant reserves beneath Britain. To extract it, companies inject a mixture of water, chemicals and sand deep into shale rock beds at very high pressure, releasing the gas beneath. Energy company Cuadrilla Resources holds licences for sites in Sussex, Surrey and Kent as well as Lancashire, and there is also gas under parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. One site is near the Sussex village of Balcombe, close to the London to Brighton train line and within a mile of a reservoir serving 65,000 homes. Vanessa Vine, a teacher involved in the "No Fracking in Sussex" campaign group, said: "We will not stand for this deeply irresponsible behaviour on the part of those who are empowered to legislate for us. Our water, our fields, our air and our very seismic stability are at stake.