The Government has given the green light for "fracking" for shale gas to resume in the UK.

Moves by gas company Cuadrilla to exploit the unconventional gas in Lancashire were put on hold 18 months ago after fracking, which uses high-pressure liquid to split rock and extract gas, caused two small earthquakes.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey has said that fracking could resume in the UK, subject to new controls which aim to reduce the risk of seismic activity.

The announcement came on the same day the Committee on Climate Change said household energy bills will be about £600 higher per year in the coming decades if we continue to rely on gas, instead of £100 higher if the country concentrated on renewable power generation, such as wind power.

There are plans for a wind farm off the Bournemouth coast and a solar farm in Christchurch.

Mr Davey said shale gas represented a promising new potential energy resource for the UK, although it was not yet known what contribution it could make to the energy mix, jobs and the economy.

He insisted that exploiting shale gas in this country would not undermine efforts to cut emissions to tackle climate change. And he said that, as gas would be needed in coming decades for heating, cooking and electricity, there were advantages in developing domestic supplies.

The Treasury has already signalled its support for the budding industry, proposing tax relief for shale gas, and unveiling a gas generation strategy which potentially paves the way for a new "dash for gas".

But environmentalists warn that a continued reliance on gas would prevent the UK meeting targets to cut emissions and tackle climate change, and that shale has no place in the move to a low-carbon economy.

Concerns have also been raised, following widespread exploitation of shale resources in the US, that it can cause local environmental problems including polluting water supplies and damaging development.

There are currently no fracking operations in Dorset and the county council's mineral and resource strategy says it is unknown if there is shale gas anywhere in the county.

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