Four charged over Kirby Misperton fracking protests
- Published
Protesters tried to stop lorries from transporting specialist equipment to the fracking site on Tuesday
Four people have been charged over protests outside a shale gas fracking site in North Yorkshire.
Two men, aged 53 and 23, and two women, aged 54 and 40, have been charged with obstructing Habton Road, in Kirby Misperton.
About 20 people were moved from the entrance of the site, between Malton and Pickering, during demonstrations on Wednesday.
The four charged are due to appear before magistrates next month.
More stories from around Yorkshire
About 60 people protested at the site on Tuesday, leading to three other people being detained.
Two were cautioned and one faced no further action.
Third Energy was given planning permission to operate on the site in May 2016.
It has not received final consent to begin fracking but expects to start before the end of the year.
Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at rock to release the gas inside.
Opponents say it can cause water contamination, earthquakes and noise and traffic pollution.