Over Half of Scots Back Legal Ban of Fracking - Poll

More than half of Scottish residents support the introduction of legal ban of fracking in the region, a new poll showed.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The BMG survey for The Herald Scotland newspaper showed on Tuesday that 54 percent of Scots support the ban, while 19 percent opposed the measure.

The survey added that the Scots, who were supportive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Labour Party, backed the ban, while its opponents were mostly the Conservative voters.

The poll was conducted on among about 1,039 respondents in October.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique of extracting shale gas and oil by injecting pressurized toxic liquid into the ground. Opponents of fracking argue the process poses numerous health, safety and environmental risks, including the potential for fracking fluids and waste to leak into water as well as the large volume of water used.

The Scottish government announced its moratorium on fracking in January 2015, however different Scottish politicians had repeatedly called for introduction of a legal ban.