The government will vote next month on whether to allow fracking firms to drill under people’s properties without the permission of the land owners. Ahead of this vote shale gas licences are attracting solid interest from investors. A government spokesperson said ‘There’s more big companies coming into this space with the resources and I warmly welcome them.’ The Department of Energy and Climate Change will simplify underground access for oil and gas developers despite 99% of respondents to a consultation objecting. The UK-wide plan gives companies the right to drill 300 metres or more under private land without negotiating a right of access. On the flipside of the fracking coin the British firm Ineos is accused of a ‘bribes and bulldozers’ approach to fracking by offering 6% of future shale gas revenues to those sitting on reserves or affected by extraction. See: