West Newton oil and drilling expansion plans revised

Rathlin Energy will now submit plans for four new wells rather than six, it has confirmed

A company, which had its plans for oil and gas drilling in East Yorkshire rejected, is to resubmit a smaller scale proposal.

Rathlin Energy had wanted to add six more wells to its site near West Newton in East Yorkshire, but its application was turned down by East Riding Council.

The company confirmed it was to submit proposals to cover a smaller area, with only four oil wells.

Objectors said the new proposals have the same environmental impact.

• More stories from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

The initial proposal had been recommended for approval, but was refused after more than 1,000 people objected, saying it undermined the council's climate emergency declaration.

A spokesman for Rathlin Energy said: "We are aiming to submit our revised planning application for four new wells rather than the previously applied for six new wells by the end of December."

Harry Clark, who lives nearby, says the traffic situation will remain

They added: "The proposed site will be 25% smaller than our original planning application, and the reduced site size will require fewer HGVs to import aggregate.

"Due to the proposed reduction in wells, the duration of drilling will be reduced from 24 months to 17.5 months and this reduction in activities will mean far fewer heavy goods vehicles during the drilling and testing phases."

Local resident and objector Harry Clark said: "What we find is, that they will still be producing 10 tank loads a day from the four wells that they were originally predicting from six wells.

"So we see no less traffic once they have got those wells into production.

"What was the principle argument of the East Riding of Yorkshire planning committee against this? The traffic. We see very little change."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or send video here.