Mubasher: The Scottish government has announced on Tuesday a ban on fracking, as reported earlier by the BBC.

Scotland’s energy minister Paul Wheelhouse told the parliament that the practice "cannot and will not take place in Scotland".

He said that the suspension of the technique, which has been in place since 2015, would continue indefinitely after a consultation showed overwhelming opposition, the BBC noted.

Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.

The technique has been subject to huge opposition from environmental activists due to its negative impacts on the environment.