Fracking laws on earthquakes could be relaxed to encourage more drilling, the energy minister has suggested.

Homeowners living near Britain’s shale gas sites may have to put up with more powerful earth tremors under plans revealed in a letter by Claire Perry.

The current rules can force frackers to down tools following even a minor quake measuring above 0.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.

A tremor of this intensity would be barely perceptible to most residents, but would register as a ‘red’ on the Government’s fracking safety traffic light.

A red light would bring all fracking work to an immediate stop, and even seismic quivers below 0.5 magnitude would be considered an ‘amber’ signal to proceed carefully.

However, the “explicitly cautious” system may soon be overhauled to allow stronger quakes measuring between 1.5 to 2 on the Richter scale to ripple through local communities without the risk of suspending shale gas drilling.