LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Depending who you believe, fracking is either the way of the future or the destruction of the environment. It's a way of extracting hard to reach reserves of oil and gas by fracturing rocks underground. In Western Australia it's the subject of a parliamentary inquiry, in Victoria it's banned until 2015, and in New South Wales and Queensland it's causing bitter disputes involving landholders, environmentalists, government and big business. In the UK the debate and the exploration is only just beginning but it's already sparking ugly confrontations.

And as Europe correspondent Barbara Miller reports, Australians are at the forefront of both sides of the UK's fracking fight.

(Footage of anti-fracking protests)

BARBARA MILLER, REPORTER: Up and down the UK the anti fracking movement is taking hold.

From Tory heartlands to the south and working class districts in the north, activists are moving in with their tents, slogans and tricks to hinder exploration for shale gas.

(Sound of protestors)

The ploy today is lock on. Two protestors attach themselves to one another, blocking access to the exploration site.

It's taken 2.5 hours to clear the two protestors who were blocking the road and the convoy of trucks is now making its way slowly along to the exploration site here. This kind of confrontation is a regular occurrence here. The protestors know they can't stop exploration taking place but they can delay it.

Among the sworn enemies of the anti fracking movement the company Cuadrilla, in which the Sydney based AJ Lucas groups hold a more than 40 per cent stake.

How does this Australian company become a key player in the UK shale gas industry?

ANDY LUKAS, GENERAL MANAGER, AJ LUCAS: It fell out of the sky. I'd like to say it was part of a business plan but it was an opportunity that fell upon us because there were some individuals that we had been working within Australia who said that they had some ideas in the UK and had some good reasons to look for gas in the UK.

The UK Greens leader, also an Australian, is worried.

NATALIE BENNETT, UK GREEN PARTY LEADER: At the moment a lot of this exploration is being carried out by very small companies and yep, the government says they're going to have very tight regulations and the companies will be responsible for cleaning up any problems. But of course if you have small companies doing that and they go broke, then the responsibility falls back on the government.

PROTESTORS: Shame on you, shame on you.

BARBARA MILLER: The French company Total recently announced it was investing in shale gas exploration in the UK, the first of the majors to show interest. And the UK's Energy Minister says he's not worried by the current dominance of small players.

MICHAEL FALLON, UK ENERGY MINISTER: There are a dozen small companies joining in the search for shale. I think that's the nature of the industry. You get more entrepreneurial risk taking people involved in this and I think that characterises oil and gas exploration on shore and offshore the world over. But what's encouraging, I think, already is this growing interest being shown by the larger companies.

Government commissioned research suggests more than half of the UK could be suitable for shale fracking and the message is, it's coming to a place near you whether you like it or not.

DAVID CAMERON, UK PRIME MINISTER: Shale is important for our country. It could bring 74,000 jobs, over billion of investment, give us cheaper energy for the future and increase our energy security.

BARBARA MILLER: Fracking for shale gas involves drilling deep into the rock and then pumping in a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to fracture it and release the gas.

SOPHIE DURIEZ, ACTIVIST: Dangerous, dirty, unethical and completely, completely wrong.

BARBARA MILLER: Why are you so convinced that it's dangerous, dirty and unethical?

SOPHIE DURIEZ: I'm convinced because of what's happened in other countries, the dangers towards fracking. The fact that they won't disclose the chemicals that are used in the fracking process is a massive warning bell.

(Sound of protestors)

BARBARA MILLER: The mining companies and the government are trying their best to convince the doubters.

ANDY LUKAS: Fracking for shale gas is as safe as you engineer it to be. If you don't engineer it correctly there is a potential to damage the aquifers but very unlikely with the shale gas because it's extremely deep.

MICHAEL FALLON: We have a robust system of regulation in place and fracturing itself will only be allowed if the method of fracturing is approved, if it's safe for those who are doing it and if it's safe for the local community and if it doesn't damage the environment.

BARBARA MILLER: Can shale realistically bring the price of energy down here?

MICHAEL FALLON: Well we don't know the answer to that, yet, it certainly could, the potential is there, provided it can be extracted, reasonably cost effectively.

BARBARA MILLER: Natalie Bennett thinks the British government is spouting a lot of hot air.

NATALIE BENNETT: British attitude towards fracking is that it's some kind of fairy dust. This magic thing will spring up and solve all of their problems. That pretty well sums up the whole Tory attitude to this. They don't know much about it, they haven't got the facts straight but they just keep promoting it anyway.

The hardcore of the anti fracking movement is spending the winter at Barton Moss near Manchester. The shale rock deep under this land could hold significant deposits of gas and an exploration well is being drilled.

Dave Barber is a foster carer from a nearby town. He's unimpressed by the financial incentives on offer to communities like his who allow fracking to go on in their back yards.

DAVE BARBER: Open bribes rather than incentives. I think they've squeezed all the local authorities so tightly that they've not got much option but to take what they're being offered now.

BARBARA MILLER: Isn't it a better energy source than oil, for example?

DAVE BARBER: It possibly is, but it's the way they're going about getting it and the speed that it's just being forced upon us. Too fast for any debates and people to know what's going on.

Local retirees, Brenda and John Leather have also begun to visit this camp.

BRENDA LEATHER: Very genuine, very brave people, you know, I mean, you will get some factions that say I can't live like this. Well I think, well bloody hell I couldn't live like this. But that's how dedicated they are, that they're prepared to give up material comforts, you know.

BARBARA MILLER: Are you reassured by the Government saying we're going to really make sure this is properly regulated; we won't do it unless it's safe?

JOHN LEATHER: (laughs) I just don't believe anything the government's ever told me in all my life. I'm 74, nearly 75 and they've conned me all my life.

(Protestors singing)

BARBARA MILLER: John and Brenda might not look like typical activists, but they've started to take part in the regular slow walks in front of trucks heading for the exploration site.

(Trucks driving past protestors)

PROTESTORS: Shame on you! Shame on you!

SOPHIE DURIEZ: They're in it for the profit, it's going to make a few people very rich and it's going to make us as a local community potentially very ill.

BARBARA MILLER: The delays are a cost the fracking industry is increasingly having to factor in. Because if the bleak British winter doesn't deter these protestors, not much will.

LEIGH SALES: Barbara Miller reporting.