Fylde police station at centre of fracking protest

They handed in a letter signed by hundreds of people to the Chief Constable expressing concerns about the number of police involved and what they view as over-aggressive policing leading to some people being injured.

While the event was billed as a silent vigil, at times some protesters chanted “we said no” while standing on the entrance road to the station and a couple shouted aggressively in the faces of police officers.

Most people there, however, were peacefully making their point. Among those was Barbara Richardson from the Roseacre Awareness Group.

She said: “We just want to show Lancashire Police that the police presence has been heavy-handed at Preston New Road, has been facilitating Cuadrilla’s drilling operation and not allowed us to carry out our rights to peaceful protest.

“This issue is not going away and the police need to work with us to find a better way of dealing with it.”

The protest was organised with human rights group Netpol, whose spokesman Kevin Blowe said: “The letter calls on the incoming Chief Constable, Andy Rhodes, to take part in a public meeting, ideally with Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, to listen to concerns about strategy at the site.”

Speaking for Lancashire Police, Supt Richard Robertshaw said: “Our intention is to facilitate peaceful protest but that has to be balanced by the right of Cuadrilla to develop their site.”