Permission would have been granted by the Borough or County Council - Balcombe Parish Council would have been consulted and made no objections. This has now turned into a rallying call for the hordes of unwashed protesters to spend their summer hols in sunny Sussex and the limpwristed local Police have aided the rabble by throwing the towel in and allowing mob rule.

I'm all in favour of fracking if it can make us self sufficient in energy and free us from importing oil and gas from the Arabs. The inaction of Sussex Police has turned this site into another Dale Farm & Twyford Down - Cuadrilla should be making some massive claims against them through the courts.