European Journal | Britain - Oil vs. Conservation

Residents of Coldharbour are up in arms: oil drilling is set to begin in their community -- just a half-hour's train ride from London. The residents see their idyllic location being buried by oil rigs and pipelines. The company in charge is playing down the issue -- saying such sources often deliver only 100 barrels of oil per day,requiring only small-scale technology. In a time of dwindling oil reserves,the British government is focusing on increasing the yield from domestic oil stocks. The number of test drilling sites has risen sharply since last year. But Coldharbour's residents feel they're being steamrollered and hope to fight drilling with lawyers and experts.