CAMPAIGNERS in the Yorkshire Dales have welcomed news that the Government is to ban fracking in the country's national parks.

But concerns remain that the added protection for the national park could potentially put pressure on the rest of Craven.

Ministers have announced that the controversial technique of drilling - and exploring - for shale gas will be restricted following pressure from critics worried about the potential effects on the countryside.

Prime Minister David Cameron had previously insisted that the Government was going "all out for shale" but appears to have been forced into making concessions by pressure from Labour MPs and environmental groups.

In the US fracking - or hydraulic fracturing, the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside - has greatly reduced the cost of energy.

But critics have claimed the costs to the environment in increased emissions, water contamination and air pollution, among other potential problems, are too great.

Now in Britain new regulations will be brought in to tighten up protections for the environment in "areas of outstanding natural beauty" and in areas near to groundwater sources. They do not protect areas outside these definitions.

Craven members of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) have given their support to the ban, saying that fracking is "not the right way forward" in protected areas.

Chairman Julia Marley said: "Hydraulic fracturing requires large numbers of heavy goods vehicle movements to and from the sites involved.

"The lanes and roads of the Yorkshire Dales National Park are lined with iconic dry stone walls and were designed in many cases for horses and carts.

"The number of heavy lorries associated with fracking would have created a negative impact on the tourism we rely on and caused chaos on these roads.

"Although we recognise the urgent need for solutions to national energy challenges, fracking is not the right way forward in our national parks and protected areas."

She added that the Dales National Park was home to 20,000 people and a "living, working environment" with a tourism industry that depended on the quality of the countryside to attract visitors.

She added: "Let’s focus on what the park is all about - enjoyment of the open spaces for this generation and those in the future, and ensure that we support and enable the existing businesses to thrive and keep the park alive."

She pointed out that the restrictions of fracking would also apply to the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and to a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Craven - but CPRE members were concerned that the remaining third of the district was coming under all sorts of added development pressures, and that potentially could include fracking.

Many of the features of the national park which made it unsuitable for fracking operations, such as the relatively narrow roads, were also present outside its boundaries. "We do have to be wary that there is a potential to adversely impact on the rest of the area," she said. "We are thrilled about this latest announcement; let's have more."

The news was also welcomed by campaign group the Yorkshire Dales Society.

Chairman Jon Avison said: "This is obviously excellent for the Dales, though some places around the A65 corridor will obviously fall outside the areas designated by the Government. But it's very good news nevertheless."

David Cameron has insisted he remained committed to shale gas, saying: "I want to see unconventional gas properly exploited in our country.”