London | British shale gas explorer Cuadrilla Resources, which is half-owned by Australian mining services company AJ Lucas, will kick off fracking operations on Monday at its site in northern England after clearing a final court hurdle on Friday.

A British High Court judge dismissed a local anti-fracking lobbyist's 11th-hour bid for both a judicial review and an injunction to prevent the work getting under way, rejecting claims that the local council's emergency planning for the fracking operation was inadequate.