On Monday 20 February, national protestors once again forced the closure of the busy A583 in Little Plumpton, by chaining themselves to the safety fencing. The road was closed for nearly two hours and resulted in disruption to the Number 61 bus service, which had to be diverted onto the M55.
A spokesperson for Lancashire For Shale claimed that the road closures were impacting local people in a variety of ways: “Major roads like the A583 facilitate the free movement of people and goods between major population centres, in this case, Preston and Blackpool.
“Unplanned road closures can have an obvious and negative economic impact by delaying or preventing the delivery of goods and services that residents and businesses have purchased, such as online grocery orders. Another significant yet less obvious impact is caused when people are prevented from getting to appointments on time, if at all.”
As a result of their concerns about the local community impact, Lancashire For Shale is joining calls for a stiffer policing response to the protests.
