Police plea over Kirby Misperton anti-fracking protests

Dozens of people attended the meeting to hear about North Yorkshire's plans to handle anti-fracking protests

Anti-fracking protesters have been urged not to cause disruption to people living near to a site where drilling is due to start in the next few months.

North Yorkshire Police made the plea at a meeting to outline their plans for policing demonstrations against Third Energy's work at Kirby Misperton.

The force said it hoped any protest would remain peaceful, but said it had up to 70 officers to manage any issues.

Protest group leaders say they will respect the local community.

Concerns over demonstrations has risen in the wake of recent protests at sites in Little Plumpton, Lancashire, and Balcombe, Sussex, in 2013, where more than 100 people were arrested.

Anti-fracking campaigners have set up a camp near to the Kirby Misperton drilling site

Supt Dave Hannan, head of specialist operations, said: "I'm not discounting the fact that scenes may occur like that because protest is protest and I can't predict how protest will end up.

"What we're hoping for is that it's be peaceful protest; there's a community lives here, there are people who do not want to see the scenes that we've seen in other parts of the country in this beautiful area of Yorkshire."

He urged protesters to consider the effect on the community of any possible road blockages.

Third Energy was granted planning permission for the site at Kirby Misperton, between Malton and Pickering in 2016.

Protesters have been camped out near to the site for more than eight months.

Sue Gough said protesters had pledged not to totally block roads

Sue Gough, from the Kirby Misperton Protection Camp, said: "We intend all our protests to be peaceful.

"It's difficult to quantify what will happen but we've pledged that there will never be total road closures because we respect people's rights to carry on with their lives."

John Dewar, operations manager for Third Energy, said if there were concerns over the fracking process the firm was happy to address them.

"Don't come with a general 'I hate you all' come with a specific and we will address it," he said.