Lincolnshire Wolds oil well to be decommissioned

An oil well in the Lincolnshire Wolds is to be decommissioned after plans to drill there were scrapped last year.

The plans for the site in Biscathorpe, near Louth, were abandoned after a long campaign against it by pressure group SOS Biscathorpe.

Work that is due to start on Monday will include plugging the well with cement, removing the upper concrete rings of the well cellar and restoring the surface.

"After 12 years of opposing this development, obviously we're thrilled that restoration work is finally about to start," said campaigner Amanda Suddaby.

"This climate-wrecking eyesore should never have been allowed in a national landscape in the midst of the climate crisis, and we'll be watching every step until it is fully restored to pristine farmland."

A spokesperson for developer Egdon Resources said a rig, about 30m high, would be used to decommission the bore.

The rig is expected to be on site for about a week and will not operate at night.

The spokesperson said the work would not cause any disruption to the community and the land would be returned to agricultural use.

The application for an oil well at Biscathorpe was initially refused by Lincolnshire County Council in 2021, but the developer successfully appealed against the decision at the High Court.

In 2024, an objection by SOS Biscathorpe led to a Supreme Court judgement which quashed the approval to drill and triggered a planning appeal hearing, which was due to be heard this month.

But the plans were abandoned in December, with the company behind the scheme, Union Jack Oil, saying it could "could no longer justify its continued investment".

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