Boris Johnson is considering reintroducing fracking in the UK as he stops importing Russian oil to punish Vladimir Putin, reports claim.

The prime minister matched the move made by US President Joe Biden last night as the West looks to tighten the squeeze on the Kremlin for sending troops to invade Ukraine.

The controversial process of fracking was prohibited in the UK in 2019 in a last-minute policy Tories ‘hoped would win over voters’ before the General Election.

But a U-turn could now be on the cards, as ministers ponder how the UK can become more self-reliant when it comes to energy.

One option to soften the blow would reportedly be to offer payouts to communities that agree to fracking nearby.

Mr Johnson’s top team is said to be split on the issue, but is believed to be against sealing England’s only two viable shale gas wells with concrete.

Instead, they could be handed to the British Geological Survey – making way for them to be reopened in the future.

Moscow oil imports make up 8% of UK demand but Boris Johnson sees the Ukraine crisis ‘as a moment of great clarity’ about how dangerous it could be to rely on Putin, The Telegraph claims.

‘We need alternative sources of energy that are cheaper and more reliable and less vulnerable to the whims of a dictator’, a senior government source told the newspaper.

Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.

Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.

Many environmentalists are against the procedure – which uses large amounts of water – and warn carcinogenic chemicals may escape to contaminate groundwater.

Alarm has also been raised about the tremors linked to fracking, with some activists claiming it cannot be carried out without triggering earthquakes.

However, it has boosted domestic oil production and driven down gas prices in the United States.

Supporters argue pollution would only be the result of bad practice.

A decision is yet to be made by the government with an energy support paper due to be published in around two weeks.

A spokesperson for the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department said: ‘The government’s moratorium on fracking, announced in 2019, remains in place and will remain so until compelling new evidence is provided over its safety. 

‘Fracking would have no effect on domestic energy prices in the near future. To boost energy security, we need to move away from expensive fossil fuels and generate more cheap, clean and secure power in the UK.’

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