SUPPORT for fracking has fallen to a new low, according to a government survey published yesterday.

Only a fifth back extracting shale gas for use in Britain, the lowest level of support since the quarterly public attitudes survey by the Department of Energy and Climate Change first quizzed people on the issue in December 2013.

Overall, 28 per cent of people opposed fracking, with 46 per cent expressing no opinion either way, the poll of 2,118 British households found.

But opposition was higher among people who said they knew about fracking, with 54 per cent of those who are well informed about the process opposing it, compared to 32 per cent backing it.

Support for renewables also remains very high, with three-quarters of those questioned backing their use.

Greenpeace head of energy Daisy Sands said: “The government’s own survey shows ministers’ priorities on energy are at the polar opposite of what the British public wants.”