North Sea: UK government agrees to drilling at Jackdaw gas field

Drilling will begin at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, after the government approved gas extraction at the site.

It says the gas taken from Jackdaw will be supplied to British homes and businesses by the end of October.

The government says the gas from Jackdaw will "heat millions of homes" and protect "hundreds of jobs".

Business leaders in Aberdeen and workers in the oil industry have welcomed the decision with union GMB describing it as "great news".

Supporters say it would provide lots of jobs, energy and money for the UK but others worry about the impact on the environment and climate change.

Environmental campaigners and the Green Party say there should be more effort for the UK to move to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.

Green party leader Zack Polanski said: "Labour has abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change."

The North Sea is part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is located to the east of Great Britain.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a large amount of natural gas and oil was discovered under the North Sea's seabed.

Jackdaw is a gas field located 150 miles off the coast from Aberdeen in Scotland.

The gas field was first discovered in 2005, but it was seen as a difficult site to extract from.

Read more about the arguments for and against drilling in the North Sea here.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the Jackdaw drilling will protect jobs and "help keep millions of homes warm this winter".

He also said this drilling means the UK will need to rely less on other countries for fuel.

He said: "At a time when people are really struggling, it's right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help."

But Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the drilling "won't lower energy bills this winter".

This means energy customers will still need to pay as much money as before, even with the new energy supply.

Business leaders in Aberdeen are describing the Jackdaw approval as "a major boost for energy security, jobs and investment in the North Sea".

Unions Unite and GMB, which represent workers, have said they approve of the decision.

The news has been welcomed by most of the UK's main political parties - including the Conservatives.

"Finally," Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch posted on social media.

But the Green Party is very unhappy, its leader Zack Polanski said: "Today's decision by Labour is a betrayal of all of our futures."

Environmental campaigners agree, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the decision was "disappointing".

"This decision will only support a tiny number of jobs, do nothing to lower prices, barely move the needle on growth, and undermine the UK's climate leadership," the charity said in a statement.