- Others superglued themselves to PR company used by firm Cuadrilla
- The company condemned 'illegal direct actions' against staff and operations
- Activists taking part in a six-day action camp in Balcombe, West Sussex
- Downing Street: 'Giving communities 1% of revenue from wells is a good level of compensation'
Anti- fracking protesters have chained themselves together in a bid to defy police at the entrance to an exploratory drilling site.
It comes as the number of demonstrators who oppose the controversial process of extracting shale gas grows outside the headquarters of Cuadrilla - the company at the centre of a series of anti-fracking protests.
Others have superglued themselves to a PR company used by the energy firm. Green party MP Caroline Lucas has also reportedly been arrested today at a protest in Balcombe, West Sussex.
Environmental activists lock themselves together at the main entrance to the Cuadrilla exploratory drilling site in Balcombe, England, as anti fracking demonstrations continue
It comes as the number of demonstrators who oppose the controversial process of extracting shale gas grows outside the headquarters of Cuadrilla - the company at the centre of a series of anti-fracking protests
Cuadrilla is not fracking or looking for gas in Balcombe, but is undertaking exploratory drilling for oil
Police use a liquid substance to free protesters who glued themselves together to block the entrance to Bell Pottinger Public Relations - which is used by the energy firm
An officer appears to be helping a woman drink water as a second tries to free her hands
Green party MP Caroline Lucas was arrested today at the anti-fracking protest in Balcombe, West Sussex
Ms Lucas joined in the sit down protest as police clashed with anti fracking protesters
The action at Cuadrilla in Lichfield, Staffordshire, and at PR firm Bell Pottinger in central London comes on the first of two days of 'mass civil disobedience' which campaigners have pledged to carry out to highlight their stance against fracking.
Activists are currently taking part in a six-day Reclaim The Power action camp in Balcombe, West Sussex, after Cuadrilla began carrying out exploratory oil drilling at the site.
Hundreds of campaigners staged noisy protests in Balcombe in the face of a heavy police presence.
Police officers push back protestors to clear the road outside
Environmental activists are led away by officers
Police hold an activist on the ground as the protests rage on
Police and vans line up inside the drilling site as the protest continues
Protesters continue to gather outside the Balcombe plant in West Sussex in opposition to the controversial method of extracting energy out of the ground called 'fracking'
Hundreds of the climate change activists have promised 48 hours of 'direct action' against the energy firm
Police trying to take bicycles that protesters are using as a barricade at the site
Environmentalists block the main entrance as part of the protest
An anti-fracking and climate protester clashes with police as she joins others in blocking the entrance to the test drill site
Cuadrilla is not fracking or looking for gas in Balcombe, but is undertaking exploratory drilling for oil.
In a statement, Cuadrilla said: 'Protesters broke into our Lichfield office, harassed our staff and chained themselves to filing cabinets.
WHAT IS FRACKING?
Fracking involves drilling down into the earth and blasting a high-pressure water, sand and chemical mixture into the rock to release the gas inside.
But its extensive in the US has prompted environmental concerns.
Campaigners are concerned that it uses large amounts of water which need to be transported to the site - which they say comes at huge environmental cost.
They also claim that the carcinogenic chemicals can escape and contaminate groundwater.
The fracking process has also been linked to earth tremors.
In Blackpool, two small earthquakes of 1.5 and 2.2 magnitude followed fracking, the BBC reports.
'The police are on site dealing with this. We condemn all illegal direct actions against our people and operations.'
The firm insisted that the morale of its staff at various sites is 'fine', and they and the teams supporting the company are 'doing a magnificent job'.
'They know that what we are doing is legal, approved and safe, and that shale gas is essential to improve our energy security, heat our homes, and create jobs and growth.
'Cuadrilla is rightly held accountable for complying with multiple planning and environmental permits and conditions, which we have met and will continue to meet.
'Clearly we are held to one set of legally enforceable standards while some protesters believe that they can set out and follow their own.'
Campaign group No Dash For Gas said six protesters superglued themselves to the glass door of Bell Pottinger at 8am and deployed reinforced arm tubes to stop anyone else getting inside.
Another activist climbed the High Holborn building and unfurled a banner bearing the words: 'Bell Pottinger - fracking liars'.
The protest group claims it has obtained a secret recording of a senior public relations officer at the firm admitting that the effect fracking will have on people's energy bills will be 'basically insignificant' and said it was playing the recording on a loudspeaker.
Meanwhile, it said 20 protesters shut down the Cuadrilla site in Lichfield by blockading it with their bodies. It said two people inside the building had also hung banners from it saying: 'Reclaim the power' and 'Power to the people'.
A photo on the 'No Dash for Gas' activist website showing anti-fracking activists outside the headquarters of the oil-drilling company Cuadrilla
Protesters also glued themselves to the headquarters of Bell and Pottinger, the public relations company of Cuadrilla
They were then removed by officers from the entrance of Bell Bottinger's office in Holborn
Meanwhile other demonstrators locked themselves to furniture inside the headquarters of Cuadrilla
A group of around 20 protesters also demonstrated outside the constituency office of Balcombe MP and Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude this morning.
And hundreds of campaigners gathered for a protest in Balcombe, with a group of activists including several disabled people blocking the entrance to the site.
The road was closed, and officers were effectively kettling protesters into a small space in front of the drilling site.
At one point police stormed a line of activists with bicycles chained together.
DOWNING STREET: GIVING COMMUNITIES 1% OF REVENUE FROM SHALE GAS WELLS IS 'GOOD LEVEL OF COMPENSATION'
Handing local communities 1% of the revenue from shale gas wells is a 'good level' of compensation, Downing Street insisted in response to demands from town hall leaders for a significantly higher share.
Prime Minister David Cameron has vocally championed the need for the UK to press ahead with exploiting the controversial energy-extraction technique in the face of escalating protests.
The Local Government Association is seeking talks with ministers over what it considers inadequate financial benefits being offered for affected areas.
In other parts of the world residents got between 5% and 10%, it pointed out, contrasting the much smaller portion on offer in the UK with tax breaks on offer to encourage energy firms to exploit shale.
Polluted water supplies and minor earthquakes are among the impacts feared by opponents of the technique as well as damage to rural areas, noise, traffic and lower house prices.
Mike Jones, who chairs the LGA's environment and housing board, said: 'The Chancellor has offered shale gas firms the most generous tax breaks in the world.
'He needs to make sure that the local communities which host these developments get a generous deal too.
"We believe that the benefits being offered to local areas need to be more substantial.
"We believe that the benefits being offered to local areas need to be more substantial.
'This is something we will now be looking to discuss with government.
Asked about the call for higher compensation, a Downing Street spokesman told reporters at a Westminster briefing: 'The Prime Minister's view is clear.
'He thinks that shale gas exploration has huge potential benefits for the economy in terms of job creation and so on.
'His view is that there are potential benefits to consumers in terms of lower gas bills, energy bills - but that any kind of development or exploration must follow a locally-led planning process.
'Part of that process is that where shale gas exploration does take place, the local community benefits.
'We have talked about a figure of 1%. We feel that that is a good level and could lead to real benefits for local communities where shale gas exploration takes place.
'That's what we are currently set at.'
Number 10 said Mr Cameron would be happy for drilling to go ahead in his own rural Oxfordshire constituency - so long as it had been approved in a locally-led planning process.
'If locally-led planning processes were followed then yes, the Prime Minister would be happy.'
The spokesman said the premier backed people's right to protest against fracking but that they must remain 'within the law'.
Anti-fracking protesters have blockaded the headquarters of energy firm Cuadrilla and superglued themselves to a PR company it uses on the first of two days of promised 'mass civil disobedience'.
Mr Jones said: 'Councils are going to have to take some difficult, controversial decisions about whether or not to approve applications for shale gas developments.
'They will need to balance the need to make the most of natural resources with safeguarding the environment and protecting the public.
'As always the needs of local people will be at the heart of the decision making process.'
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