Greenpeace fails in oil field legal move

Greenpeace boarded the Transocean rig which bound for the Vorlich field

Greenpeace has failed in a bid to proceed with legal action against the UK government's decision to allow BP to develop a North Sea oil field.

The environmental group believed the Oil and Gas Authority was wrong to give permission for the Vorlich field.

It believed the decision should have been stopped by government ministers on environmental grounds.

Judge Lord Boyd ruled that Greenpeace had not met the legal tests needed to bring the action to court in Scotland.

The pressure group had instructed lawyers to go to the Court of Session in Edinburgh seeking permission to bring a judicial review before a judge there.

Lord Boyd said that Greenpeace could pursue other avenues to object to the Vorlich development.

• Greenpeace fined over 12-day North Sea protest

In a written judgement issued at the court on Friday, he wrote: "There is another process in which the challenge can and is being made.

"There is no requirement to invoke the supervisory jurisdiction of this court.

"For these reasons I shall refuse permission to proceed."

The Vorlich field is 150 miles east of Aberdeen.

Earlier this year, Greenpeace was fined £80,000 for breaching a court interdict during a 12-day protest on a drilling rig. which was bound for the Vorlich oil field.