I FULLY appreciate the recent article about the merits of fracking (Echo, June 28). I have raised the issue of our reliance on foreign gas supplies before, but it is the only way to enable UK users to have enough fuel during winter.

There have always been dangers associated with the supply of fuel. We need to evaluate those dangers and weigh them against the damage that will be done to the economy and to the health of senior and vulnerable citizens if we allow our fuel supply to run too low.

Ben Ord, Spennymoor Liberal Democrats.