NORTH Yorkshire County Council has said it has no significant concerns about fracking and the risk to health is low.

The statement was given in response to a public question at the Ryedale Area Committee meeting on Monday, which had been rescheduled after anti-fracking protests saw it suspended the first time round last month.

The question came from district councillor John Clark, who asked whether or not North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) had measured the baseline health status for Kirby Misperton residents, and whether they had prepared local people, as well as health professionals, for what to do in the event of possible health impacts.

A spokesman for NYCC said that Public Health England had said they had “no significant concerns” about the process and the “potential risk to health will be low”.

They added that all GPs and A&E have protocols to respond to emergencies, and there are not separate procedures for shale gas.

Meanwhile, fracking protests have continued in the district this week.

On Thursday, protesters gathered in Castlegate in Malton to hand out leaflets to passers-by and wave placards.

One of the campaigners, Josie Downs, from Frack-Free Ryedale, said they were making people aware of the possibility of seismic surveys taking place in the Malton and Norton areas. These surveys are done by energy companies to examine the possibility of shale gas in deep rock strata.

“We’d like people to realise that fracking isn’t just something happening down at Kirby Misperton,” she said.

“We don’t think it’s too late to protest. There’s a lot of opposition.

“Wherever they roll-out licence areas people get wise to it.

“It’s always opposed - I can’t think of any area where people have embraced it.

“Renewable energy is coming more and more to the fore. There’s lots of news about how well it’s doing and how much energy is being generated that way.

“And of course lots more could be done with reducing the need for energy in the first place, through insulation and energy efficiency.”