Fracking ban decision to be unveiled by Scottish Government

The Scottish Government is facing calls to unveil a legal ban on fracking when MSPs are updated on the issue this week.

Anti-fracking campaigners outside Holyrood

Energy minister Paul Wheelhouse is to make a statement to MSPs at Holyrood on Thursday and campaigners are now calling the issue to be put to rest once and for all.

Two years ago energy minister Paul Wheelhouse announced an "effective ban" on fracking in Scotland, but this was judges found this had no legal force after a court challenge was brought by petrochemical giant INEOS.

"The effective ban announced 2 years ago has been exposed in court as having no legal force and was described by the Scottish Government’s own legal team as merely ‘the language of a press release’.

In response to a Scottish Government consultation on fracking, 60,000 people called for the industry to be stopped. The Scottish Parliament also voted for a ban on the industry in June 2016.

The Scottish Government has been conducting several consultations on fracking in order to meet the legal requirement before a ban could be unveiled. A spokesman refused to comment ahead of the statement on Thursday.