Fracking won’t solve energy crisis and could cause ‘serious’ damage, watchdog warns

Liz Truss urged to ‘look at the facts’ – just days before she is expected to lift three-year ban on drilling for shale gas

The return of fracking will not ease the UK’s energy crisis and could cause “serious” environmental damage, the head of a government watchdog is warning.

Lord Deben, chair of the independent Climate Change Committee urged Liz Truss to “look at the facts” – just days before she is expected to give the go-ahead to drilling for shale gas in England.

He dismissed the claim, made by some government ministers, that the soaring price of gas had created an opportunity for the UK to exploit its reserves through fracking.