Government Figures Rubbish Shale Gas Lobby's Claims That Most of UK Supports Fracking

The latest government survey on fracking has said that less than a quarter of Britons support shale drilling - a dramatic contradiction of recent claims made by UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG), that the majority of UK residents were pro-fracking.

A recent study from UKOOG said that 57% of the population of the UK backed fracking while just 16% are opposed to it, with the rest undecided.

However, a government report said just 24% of the UK is in favour of fracking, and that this figure is actually in decline, having dropped by 5% since the last such survey in March.

Greenpeace said when the UKOOG's findings were released earlier this week, it was "no coincidence" the results had come out in favour of fracking, considering who had conducted the survey.

Greenpeace was understandably righteous about the latest results.

"Less than a quarter of the British public now support fracking generally and there is even less support when drilling happens locally," said chief scientist for Greenpeace UK Dr Doug Parr.

"Shale drilling is far less popular than clean alternatives like solar and wind, yet it enjoys preferential treatment from ministers.

"The government's official numbers contrast sharply with the dubious figures from the industry released yesterday, and cannot disguise how [Prime Minister David] Cameron's 'all out for shale' push is turned into a politically toxic mix of hype, spin, and secrecy."