There has been much press coverage recently about earthquakes in the North West during Fracking, a controversial process where high pressure water is injected below ground to fracture rocks and create pathways for natural gas to get to the surface. After studies into the safety of these operations, gas recovery is now proceeding again, but interest in this new process is spreading across the country.
Most people will know that there are active Nodding Donkey oil wells in the area (by Junction 2 of the A3M for a start, Image Below) but regular gas and oil exploration is carried out across the country. Horndean is no different here, and pressure group “Frack Off” have produced a map to show where these active and exploratory locations are. (Image Right)
Horndean, it seems, has drawn the attention of IGas Energy, a PLC who specialise in On Shore drilling and have obtained a licence to drill. (In 2011 IGas Energy purchased Star Energy, the firm who operate the oil wells)
Ultimately, we need oil and gas to survive, and if we can obtain this from our own resources rather than relying on overseas, and often unstable countries for supply, then economically at least this must be a good thing.
If the exploration progresses to actual finds and fracking I am sure we will hear all about it very quickly…
horndeanmatters 
Fracking is probably unlikely in this type of field (and very unlikely to cause any surface damage)
My concern would be whether this is any subsidence at surface related to oil extraction from the reservoir. This would be easily mitigated by water injection to replace the extracted oil.
I’d recommend:
Ask the operator if there is likely to be any reservoir compaction and related subsidence at the surface
If there is a possibility what are they doing to check ? (Tilt meters, satellite surveys….)
What mitigation? eg water injection. (This may already be happening but I don’t know enough about the field)
If my memory serves me correctly Horndean C was fracked. I remember having to pull a pump stuck in frac sand