Sinn Fein Energy spokesperson Phil Flanagan is urging the Department of Environment in Northern Ireland to subject Tamboran's proposed drilling of a 750 metre borehole to the full planning process.

Mr Flanagan said the licence was given to Tamboran by the DETI without any public discussion.

He said: "This proposal must be subject to a statutory planning application to allow local people and experts to have their say on the proposal.

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"I am calling on the Environment Minister Mark H Durkan to ensure that this proposal be subject to the full planning process, including a statutory environmental impact assessment.

"That has always been the case with such applications to date and there must be no easing of the regulatory burden in this instance.

"It is not good enough for Tamboran to say that this application itself is not for fracking. We need to know what the long term impacts of this borehole will be for the health of local people and on the local environment."

(CD/IT)