ANTI-FRACKING protests will stretch North Yorkshire Police resources to the limit and cost taxpayers a fortune, the Police Federation has warned.

With anger growing over Monday's decision by North Yorkshire County Council to grant permission for 'fracking' for shale gas to take place at a site at Kirby Misperton in Ryedale, the chairman of the county's Police Federation said he believed manning demonstrations would put already stretched resources under further pressure.

Councillors voted by seven votes to four to allow Third Energy to carry out what will be the first fracking operation in the UK for five years.

The decision could see the company begin exploring for shale gas within a year and, if a suitable reserve is found, production will then commence.

Frack Free Ryedale, which led the campaign against the application, launched a 'People's Declaration' along with Friends of the Earth.

It said in a statement: "We urge and will support the Government to develop a balanced long-term energy policy that will achieve our globally agreed climate change targets.

"Today we resolve to continue to fight to remain free from fracking, to protect our communities, our beautiful countryside, our air and water, and to protect the future of the planet. We ask people across the country to join us by supporting this declaration."

So far the protests have involved peaceful rallies, involving residents of all backgrounds and all ages, from children to the elderly, with campaigners from North Yorkshire being joined by others from further afield.

But there are concerns that because this is the first approval of its kind for some time, the county could become a focal point for more vehement protests - all of which would need to be watched over by police to ensure they passed off peacefully.

On Monday, a member of Frack Free South Yorkshire tweeted: "So now the fun starts in North Yorkshire! It won't go down the way they want it too, that's a fact."

Another opponent said: "We're ready, we'll show you what people power looks like."

The county's Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, says she does not envisage finance being an issue, but that has not appeased the Police Federation.

North Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Mike Stubbs said: “It’s not about the money, it’s about the fact we have far fewer cops now than we did because of all the uncertainty over police funding we had last year from the Government.

"The Home Office was hinting there would be further reductions in the police budget, so there was very little recruiting.

“You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have enough cops to put out there it isn’t a solution.”

Former police officer, turned author, Mike Pannett said the planning decision would have other implications for the force.

“I've never witnessed such strong opposition to something like this," he said.

“This will have huge implications for North Yorkshire Police on policing the very people they serve.

“Keeping public confidence and trust will be very, very challenging.”

Mrs Mulligan, however, said concerns about how police would cope with long-running protests were misplaced.

“There is a positive duty on North Yorkshire Police to facilitate lawful and peaceful protests, with fracking being absolutely no different, and I do not expect any resourcing issues as a result of the county council’s decision,” she said.

“North Yorkshire Police has the necessary contingencies and budgets in place to ensure the force is well able to deal with such events in the calm and professional manner you would expect, ensuring any impact on local residents is kept to a minimum.

“Above and beyond our usual budgeting, there are also reserves earmarked for any unplanned major incidents, as well as a general reserve which is there for any eventuality."

She added: “In the worst case, there is the option to apply to the Home Office for financial support should the costs exceed one per cent of North Yorkshire Police’s budget, or about £1.5m, but I believe that is highly unlikely to happen.”

Rasik Valand, chief executive of Third Energy, said work would not start at the site for "months and months" and would initially be an "exploration phase".

When asked if this was a precedent for further fracking applications to be approved, he said: "We don't look upon it like that. We are a local company, we see ourselves as a local company. For us, this is about testing what's in our local area."