Sparks Fly Over Fracking Plan on Potential UXO Site

Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom A leading fracking firm is expected to start drilling on the site of the former Royal Ordnance Factory near Daneshille Lakes in the near future. The factory was one of three built to produce cordite (a form of smokeless propellant designed to replace gunpowder) during WWII. The drilling has sparked concerns from local officials over the potential for UXO at the site. The fracking company believes that the site is safe but opponents reference Environmental Agency (EA) reports that states "most MoD sites that operated during the war were military targets, there is often an issue of unexploded ordnance."

The drilling site, approximately half the size of a soccer field, is an area that was never developed during the construction or use of the ordnance factory. Initial intrusive investigations at the site did not reveal any indicators of UXO (e.g., presence of frag, munitions debris). The company has all the required permits from EA to begin but officials at the EA have "requested soil samples to provide conclusive proof that there are no residual explosives on site."