Guardian: East Yorkshire gas-drilling site making locals ‘sick from noxious smells’

People living near a Canadian energy company’s exploratory gas-drilling site in east Yorkshire have complained to the Environment Agency about feeling sick from noxious smells. But the company has re-assured government inspectors and local people there is no danger to human health and has been allowed to continue drilling a 9,000 ft deep “wildcat” bore hole.

“The smell is hideous, very distinctive, pungent and nauseous. It comes in waves. It started last week and has continued since. It fades in and out. The area where they are drilling is very rural and the smell drifts easily a mile away,” says Debbie Stabler who lives 400m from the drill site near West Newton, near Aldbrough in east Yorkshire.

“Depending on the wind, it has at times reached villages like West Newton and Withernwick,” said Stabler, who with others have also complained about gas flaring and light pollution from the round-the-clock operation.  

Rathlin, which is exploring for conventional oil and natural gas deposits and says it is not injecting sand, water and chemicals at high pressure underground to fracture shale – the process known as fracking – admits causing smells but said people’s awareness could be heightened by “anything out of the ordinary”. MORE