Dronfield and Eckington anti-fracking protesters gather outside Sheffield's Crucible

The marchers took advantage of the extra foot traffic generated by the Snooker World Championship semi-finals to spread awareness of what is happening in north east Derbyshire.

As Chemical firm Ineos is already in the process of applying for permission to test for shale gas at a site off Bramley Moor Lane, in Marsh Lane, Eckington, protestors from both groups are fighting to stop the process, which involves injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks to extract oil or gas. John Levis, a spokesman for Dronfield Against Fracking said: “We had more than 100 people there and we got our message out to a lot of people.

“If they get the well in Eckington they will move onto other sites.

“People in Dronfield don’t think this is going to happen, but Marsh Lane is only three miles away.”

To find out more about the group visit www.dronfieldagainstfracking.org.