The Environment Agency has objected to plans to drill for oil in Dorset because there was no assessment of the risk to water.
The regulator said the application by South Western Energy Limited at Puddletown had “insufficient information” about the risks to drinking water and to a nearby chalk stream.
It said there was no objection in principle to the application, but added:
“We will maintain our objection until we receive a satisfactory risk assessment that demonstrates that the risks to controlled waters posed by this development can be safely managed”.
