ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners in the region have accused the government of "sacrificing" beauty spots to the controversial fracking process that has been linked to earthquakes and water pollution.

Some 132 areas, including swathes of the North York Moors and Teesside, are poised to be awarded new licences for oil and gas exploration subject to further environmental assessment and conditions to protect wildlife and habitats.

In additiona, ministers said 27 plots of land in areas such as South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Lincolnshire have been awarded to companies to explore for oil and gas as the Government seeks to push forward with a UK shale industry.

The announcement comes after Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said last week that planning decisions on fracking, which involves a high-pressure water mixture being directed at rock to release gas and oil deposits, would be speeded up.

North Yorkshire County Council is considering an application from Third Energy to carry out test-fracking operations close to Kirby Misperton, in Ryedale.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire environmental campaign group Frack Free Rydale said it was "a black day for the North of England which is now officially designated as a sacrifice zone in the Government's reckless and unpopular drive towards fracking".

They said the announcement would "send shockwaves through many areas that have so far been free of the threat of fracking".

Twelve firms, including Cuadrilla and Ineos, have been given the exclusive right to explore for oil and gas, including fracking.

However, whether exploration can actually go ahead is subject to local planning consent.

Energy minister Lord Bourne said: "As part of our long-term plan to build a more resilient economy, create jobs and deliver secure energy supplies, we continue to back our onshore oil and gas industry and the safe development of shale gas in the UK.

"This is why the OGA (Oil and Gas Authority) has moved quickly to confirm the winners of licence blocks which do not need further environmental assessment.

"Keeping the lights on and powering the economy is not negotiable, and these industries will play a key part in providing secure and reliable energy to UK homes and businesses for decades to come."

But Greenpeace said the announcement had fired the starting gun for the "fight for the future of our countryside".

Spokeswoman Daisy Sands said: "Hundreds of battles will spring up to defend our rural landscapes from the pollution, noise and drilling rigs that come with fracking.

"The Government is backing the destructive fracking industry with tax breaks and by stifling local opposition.

"It seems clear that the Government is responding to the vigorous lobbying from the fracking companies by ignoring both the economic and environmental evidence that clean, renewable energy is a far better bet for investment and the planet."

Frack Free Ryedale added: "The effect of widespread fracking across Yorkshire would have a huge impact on the lives of rural communities all across the county, as their lives become blighted by endless HGV traffic, noisy drilling, air pollution, health impacts and threats to their water supplies.

"The region's core industries of agriculture and tourism are also under serious threat as the government attempts to green-light the industrialisation of the countryside across Yorkshire."