A test borehole can be drilled on farmland north of Woodnesborough as part of an exploration to locate possible onshore gas reserves.

Kent County Council’s planning committee backed their officers’ recommendation to allow an application for the borehole by Coastal Oil and Gas, of Bridgend, Wales.

This was despite serious concerns raised by people in Sandwich and Deal about any future exploitation of such resources.

Issues were raised at KCC’s meeting by campaigning bodies Deal With It and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Deal With It co-ordinator Rosemary Rechter said campaigners had expected the application to be passed at County Hall on Tuesday.

She said: "There are no local grounds within the regulations to do anything else.

"We raised a lot of issues before this point and at the meeting we managed to get some conditions put in place."

Based on the results of the test bore hole whether to proceed or to try a test borehole elsewhere.

"Meanwhile, we are going to build a coalition and inform people. When the next round comes up, we will mount really strong opposition. We are working towards a moratorium," said Mrs Rechter

"We should be turning towards renewables, not digging fossil fuels out of the ground to encourage climate change to come even faster."

* For more details and comments from Kent Green Party and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, buy the East Kent Mercury, December 8.