OBJECTORS warned that land in the South Downs National Park could still be at risk of fracking, despite the Government pledge of an “outright ban”.

Friends of the Earth warned that it has received legal advice that national parks, including the South Downs, will not be protected if “weakened” draft regulations become law.

In January, MP Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, told Parliament: “We have agreed an outright ban on fracking in National Parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

The southern part of the South Downs National Park borders the Liphook Road, Whitehill.

Anti-fracking campaigners applauded the unanimous decision by the South Downs National Park Authority last year to reject Celtique Energie’s application to test drill for shale gas and oil near Fernhurst, West Sussex.

Celtique was poised to appeal but decided not to go ahead in March due to the Government’s stricter stance on drilling for shale gas and oil in National Parks. Objectors now fear a fresh application could be lodged, by Celtique or another energy company, when the exploration development licence expires next July.

The legal advice received by Friends of the Earth concludes that the Government’s draft regulations will not, in practice, provide the additional protection needed to safeguard these areas.

The group is also concerned that companies would be allowed to frack through drinking water aquifers and other areas designated to protect water sources. The campaign group warned this puts drinking water aquifers at risk, and the other areas designated to protect drinking water sources.

While Bordon sits just outside the national park, villages to the west and south, including much of Whitehill, Blackmoor, Longmoor, Oakhanger and Selborne, are inside it.

And, although there are currently no applications to frack locally, licensed areas cover much of East Hampshire, meaning energy companies could submit proposals to do so.

When the Government’s delegated legislative committee met recently to discuss the draft onshore hydraulic fracturing (protected areas) regulations, it was confirmed it will not bring forward any additional protections for protected wildlife sites or Sites of Special Scientific Interest, putting these highly sensitive areas under threat.

Following the meeting, shadow energy and environment secretaries Lisa Nandy and Kerry McCarthy penned an open letter to Conservative secretaries of state Amber Rudd and Liz Truss, insisting such “important issues should be subject to a debate and a vote of the whole House”.

“We remain concerned these new regulations will allow shale gas drilling to take place in many drinking-water protection zones, important wildlife sites and below our National Parks and World Heritage Sites,” they wrote.

“We absolutely believe these weakened regulations fail to provide critical environmental safeguards, which must be reintroduced before any further developments in fracking can take place. Nothing that was said in committee has allayed our concerns.

“We believe there should be an opportunity for all MPs to debate and discuss this issue. In the absence of this full debate, we believe all MPs should still have the opportunity to vote on whether they support a weakening of the regulations regarding shale gas exploration.

National park campaigner Brenda Pollack said: “It is unacceptable the Government is trying to allow fracking through through drinking water aquifers and in our national parks,” she said.

“This is a U-turn on their earlier commitments.”