WE are at the start of a long debate over so-called fracking.

The removal of shale gas through the pumping of water and chemicals deep below the surface is obviously contentious.

Yesterday’s decision by the Government to offer more than 100 new licences to test for and then extract the gas throughout the UK begins the next stage in what is promising to be a traditional battle between those who support green energy sources and those who say cheap energy will make us independent and provide energy security for decades.

With turmoil in eastern Europe as Russia flexes its energy muscles as well as its military might, it is easy to see how attractive the shale gas argument becomes.

Throw into the mix fears of residents living near shale gas extraction sites, not least the effect on their house prices, and there is a recipe for confrontation.

Assurances that the New Forest and South Downs national parks will be immune from fracking do not go far enough, say campaigners, and allow for the over-riding of such promises in the national interest.

In the end there is no evidence yet that fracking damages communities, but that does not mean that the issue should not be hotly debated and constant assurances sought.