Cuadrilla Resources, the only company to have fracked for shale gas in the UK, says it plans to drill for oil in…[Balcombe] this year, setting the scene for a bitter battle with local environmentalists. Cuadrilla said it will…start discussions with local residents to “explain exactly what this work will involve”…local campaigners were not reassured. “They’re not drilling just for the fun of it,” said Vanessa Vine of Frack Free Sussex. “If they find any oil or gas, they’ll frack.”…shale gas exploration is controversial in the UK. Opposition is focused on the contentious practice of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, in which large volumes of water, sand and chemicals are injected into shale rock at high pressure to release oil and gas trapped inside. Environmentalists worry that it can pollute groundwater – a charge dismissed by the oil industry.