I SHARE the concern expressed by Margaret Greenwood MP over the government's decision to bulldoze planning applications for the extraction of shale gas through local authorities even if there is local opposition.

Many of the scientific reports I have read about the process in America have convinced me that this process can be hazardous to the health of both residents and the environment.

The most worrying of these reports is new research from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia published recently in Plos One – a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Hospitalisations for heart conditions, neurological illness and other conditions were higher among people who live near unconventional gas and oil drilling (hydraulic fracturing).

The senior author, a professor of medicine, said: "At this point, we suspect that residents are exposed to many toxicants, noise, and social stressors due to hydraulic fracturing near their homes and this may add to the increased number of hospitalisations.

"This study represents one of the most comprehensive to date to link health effects with hydraulic fracturing." 

Do we really want to risk similar situations occurring in Britain?

Before any planning process begins, I would like to see clear evidence that there will be no effects on the health of local people, no contamination of ground water or general water supply and no earthquakes.

Audrey Moore,

Wallasey.