The Scottish government has dashed Ineos’ plans to become Britain’s biggest shale gas player by effectively banning fracking due to the strong local opposition to the controversial extraction process.

Paul Wheelhouse, Scotland's energy minister, told the devolved parliament that the process of hydraulic fracturing "cannot and will not take place in Scotland" due to overwhelming opposition.

Scotland called for a moratorium on fracking almost two years ago, and Mr Wheelhouse said it would remain in place “indefinitely” after 99pc of 60,000 survey respondents opposed unconventional gas extraction.