Telegraph: Cuadrilla's Balcombe drilling may have broken noise rules
Cuadrilla’s efforts to drill for oil in Balcombe have suffered another blow after it emerged the company may have breached its planning permission by making too much noise.
A noise monitoring report commissioned by Cuadrilla showed that sound levels during drilling peaked 20pc higher than allowed.
But the report said other “local activity” was probably to blame - as spikes were also seen when it was not drilling - and suggested that protesters and police may also have led to increased noise.
Planners at West Sussex County Council said it was not clear “whether there has been a breach of condition” and that they had pressed Cuadrilla to quieten their operations after complaints from residents about noise at night. MORE