Kent County Council has been accused of naivety over fracking after a briefing paper downplayed the risks by saying it was not capable of serious damage.

The paper also claimed mistakes made by companies elsewhere were unlikely to be repeated in the UK and "there was no reason to assume that it cannot be a safe process."

The briefing document, seen by the KM Group, was written last year by Cllr David Brazier, the Conservative cabinet member for the environment.

It was re-circulated to county councillors last week.

It downplays the potential for tremors caused by extraction methods, asserting "the technique can occasionally cause earth tremors that might crack the plaster but it is not capable of causing serious damage."

Cllr Brazier writes: "You will have read or heard that it causes earthquakes - well, it can cause tremors but generally of a low order and not significantly more than coal mining."

In response to the question: "So, it's the next big thing?" Cllr Brazier says: "It could be very important to Kent, bringing jobs and a range of other benefits to the economy and, of course, a measure of energy security.

"The mistakes and environmental damage that has given it a bad name elsewhere (polluted drinking water and flames from the bathroom taps!) are unlikely to occur in the UK."

Mr Brazier said the paper, which also outlined some of the negative aspects, was an attempt to provide a balanced view on the issue and he stood by it.

At the same time, he intended to discuss with planners what KCC's position should be.

"I would not dismiss it [fracking] as dangerous any more than I would dismisss atomic power as dangerous.

"My overall view is that we are a nation with an insatiable appetite for energy and we are running out of resources.

"We do not want wind turbines and we do not want nuclear so we have to consider these things."

The comments in the briefing paper drew a rebuke from Green county councillor Martin Whybrow, who accused the county council of "naivety and wishful thinking."

He urged the authority to re-assess its policy.

"You will have read or heard that it causes earthquakes - well, it can cause tremors but generally of a low order and not significantly more than coal mining" - Cllr David Brazier

"The document is a pointer of the way KCC is looking at this. I do not know what evidence there is for making these sorts of assertions and I cannot see the justification for them.

"It would be prudent for KCC to review its position - we are at a very different place to where we were a year ago," he said.

Kent was likely to see similar protests to the one at Balcombe in West Sussex if companies began explorations, he added.

"Balcombe is not what you would perceive as a hotbed of activism and when we do get activity in Kent, we could well get the same level of opposition."

The council has an important role in determining whether fracking exploration should be allowed. Operators need a licence from government but KCC needs to give planning permission for exploration.

To date, it has granted permission for exploratory drilling at Woodnesborough near Sandwich and at site in Cowden, near Tunbridge Wells.