Following on from my visit earlier in the year to the IGas facility at Doe Green in Warrington, it was interesting to visit the IGas well site in Singleton on Monday.

Operational since the Singleton field was first discovered in the 1980s, the site has been developed over the past 30 years and, since 2009, has operated 6 oil and gas wells which produce approximately 500 barrels of oil per day. IGas took over the site in 2012, and has continued to invest and upgrade operations.

I am grateful to IGas Chief Executive Stephen Bowler and Area Supervisor Andy Roberts for explaining their operations to me, and how they work within the confines of the South Downs National Park whilst ensuring environmental sensitivity.

I am also very grateful to local residents Janet Holt, Lisa Emmerson, Maurice Pollock and Ian Michael for taking the time to talk to me over coffee at the nearby Partridge Pub about what it is like living near a conventional onshore oilfield.