A MOTHER has described anti-fracking protesters as a “grinding constant” following two arrests made in a North Yorkshire village.

Ruth Hardie claimed dozens of protesters in Kirby Misperton were unaware of pressures being put on the small village that is home to Third Energy’s well site.

She added that she had struggled to care for her daughter who required emergency surgery on her appendix during anti-fracking protests.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Hardie said: “They just keep going over the same old, same old.

“If you say [my daughter] isn’t well, they say, ‘we’re trying to protect your water, we’re trying to protect your air’ – I’m trying to protect my child today.

“If she never got to the hospital and had her appendix removed, she wouldn’t be here to enjoy the fresh air and fresh water.”

She added: “It’s constant, it’s a grinding, constant, annoying thing that they do and they don’t seem to understand the pressure they’re putting on the village.”

North Yorkshiree Police confirmed that two anti-fracking protesters had built two wooden towers in the middle of Habton Road in Kirby Misperton during the early hours of Monday morning.

A 56-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were charged with causing a danger to road users following the incident and are due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court on December 21.

The woman as also charged with obstructing a police constable while carrying out their duties in the latest of a string of clashes between protesters and the authorities.

However, a resident living in nearby Habton said she believed the villages and there infrastructure were not under increased pressure because of protesters in the area.

She said: “It makes the difference of nine minutes between Kirby Misperton and Habton. I know because I’ve timed it.

“There’s no reason why anyone shouldn’t be able to get to work or school.”

Speaking to the BBC, an anti-fracking protester added: “We all need to look at the bigger picture. It’s vital that we fight this industry.”

Following the two arrests made earlier this week, Superintendent Lindsey Robson, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We will continue to take a neighbourhood policing approach to any protest activity - that means we will talk to people, to explain what is acceptable in terms of safety and reasonableness, and ask them to work with us to make this a safe and peaceful protest.

“We would rather talk to people and persuade them to move than have to resort to force and make arrests.”