Cuadrilla fracking applications: Council to decide in April

Cuadrilla applied to frack at its sites in Little Plumpton and Roseacre Wood

A decision on whether to allow fracking in Lancashire will not be made until April, the county council has said.

Energy firm Cuadrilla had applied to extract shale gas at Little Plumpton and Roseacre Wood, near Blackpool.

In January, council planners recommended rejecting the application because of noise and traffic problems.

The council said a decision would be made on 30 April, following a "consultation with regulators and the public" about the identified issues.

A Cuadrilla spokesman said the timescale would allow the public to "properly review" the "additional information" the firm had provided "to fully address the noise and traffic concerns".

Friends of the Earth campaigner Helen Rimmer said it was "yet another delay for the industry at a time when fracking is becoming increasingly unpopular".

Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - is a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas.