North East Derbyshire MP Lee Rowley says fracking companies should stop 'flogging a dead horse'

His comments come after Cuadrilla was forced to halt fracking at Preston New Road in Lancashire last night after a record-high tremor at the site.

The fracking firm said the tremor was similar to 'a large bag of shopping dropping to the floor'.

A spokesperson for the company added: “Most local people will not have felt it due to its small size.”

Anti-fracking campaigners in Derbyshire have been closely monitoring the events in Lancashire because of a planning application to carry out fracking by Ineos in Marsh Lane, near Eckington, north east Derbyshire.

Ineos were granted planning permission last year to start initial tests to explore for shale gas reserves but no work has started yet.

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Last week a spokesperson for Ineos said: “The council (Derbyshire County Council) has set out a number of conditions that need to be considered before any work can commence on site.

“This takes time and we currently have no operational timescales for when work will start.

“Once we do we will keep the council and local residents updated.”

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Following last night's events in Lancashire, Mr Rowley said: “This latest earthquake demonstrates, yet again, that fracking cannot be conducted without inducing significant and regular seismic events.

“The industry signed-up to the seismic regulations years ago and told us they could operate within the limits.

“It’s clear the industry cannot frack under the seismic limits they agreed. This just proves again that fracking isn’t going to work in the UK and the companies should give up flogging a dead horse.”