Cuadrilla’s bid to explore for shale gas beneath the Lancashire countryside could move ahead within weeks after its opponents lost a High Court legal challenge against the project.

The Preston New Road Action Group and campaigner Gayzer Frackman, a professional clown, failed to dash Cuadrilla’s plans to use hydraulic fracturing to unlock onshore gas reserves in the north west of England.

Their calls for the High Court to rule against the Government’s approval of the project were dismissed in a ruling which could remove the final stumbling block to the energy company’s exploration plans.

Cuadrilla has been battling for years to clear the regulatory hurdles against fracking projects and could begin the drilling stage of the project within the next couple of months, provided there is no appeal against the judicial review ruling.

A similar legal tussle over the consent granted to shale developer Third Energy did not face an appeal.

Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla said he is “very pleased” with the outcome.