A 16-ft python found dead and floating in a Lancashire canal

#python #lancashire #RibbleValley The police has appealed for information that could solve the mystery of a huge 16-ft python that was found dead and floating in a canal Norden Bridge in Rishton, Lancashire, by walkers as reported in news.sky.com dated 4 March 2015.
The reticulated python is believed to have been around 12 to 15 years old and could have been living in the wild for a number of days before it died. Post-mortem examination carried out on it revealed that it exhibited signs of respiratory disease that could have been the cause of its death.
In the opinion of Ribble Valley Wildlife Crime Officer PC Carl Chew, a python of this size could have attacked any person and it is fortunate that no one was attacked. He has added that there are specific offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and Animal Welfare Act regarding releasing a python.
Some possibilities being explored are that the python may have outgrown its home and the owners released it. Or its owner could have wanted to get rid of its pet.
Whatever be the reason, the police have suggested that owners who want to get rid of their pets should not just set them free but inform suitable agencies who have expertise in such matters.

Protests of anti-fracking lobby gather steam in Lancashire

#cuadrilla #fracking #lancashire #blackpool #preesehall The anti-fracking lobby is gaining in strength as demonstrators from all over UK would be assembling in Lancashire to raise their voices ahead of a controversial decision on the future of fracking in the county.
Cuadrilla, an exploration company, has apparently applied to get permission to develop new fracking sites after 2011 when it had been blamed for creating earth tremors in Blackpool three years ago. As a result, the firm had to suspend test drilling and abandon the Preese Hall site near the seaside resort. It was the only place in the UK where modern fracking techniques have been used so far.
Incidentally, the new areas proposed to be explored by Cuadrilla apparently sit on the same massive reserve of shale gas which, once exploited, could help revolutionize Britain's energy market. However, the opposition is coming from groups opposed to fracking who feel fracking would not be good for the countryside – it would, in fact, pollute the environment. Cuadrilla has, reportedly, applied to Lancashire County Council for permission to frack two sites in a rural area between Preston and Blackpool.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the name given to the process of drilling a mile or more into the earth and then injecting water, chemicals and sand under high pressure into rock so that the shale gas trapped between the layers of stone gets released.
Incidentally, supporters of fracking in the US argue that it has considerably reduced America's dependence on imported energy supplies and has helped to bolster the economy.