Greenpeace occupies George Osborne's Conservative headquarters in fracking protest – in pictures

A Greenpeace spokeswoman said: 'It's just really to bring home the reality to local people because there are actually two exploratory drilling licences that have been issued for Tatton so this the future they can expect' Photograph: CHRISTOPHER THOMOND/Guardian

A statement on the Greenpeace site said: 'Fracking is a dangerous gamble that will threaten local environments, derail efforts to tackle climate change and cost green jobs and investment' Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

The group climbed on to the first floor balcony of the Conservative MPs Tatton office in Cheshire, and renamed it the headquarters of Frack & Go Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

Companies to which licences have been granted for exploratory drilling for gas-fracking include IGas, which is 22% owned by a Chinese state oil and gas company. The firm has said it considers rocks in the area to contain shale with a 'high potential to be hydrocarbon bearing' Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

The Tatton poll suggested that 12% of local people who voted Conservative at the 2010 general election would be likely to switch parties if fracking went ahead in the area Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

Protesters avoided disrupting traffic and put up signs reading: 'We apologise for any inconvenience while we frack your town' Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

The protest followed polling in Tatton commissioned by Greenpeace from ComRes which shows that just over half of Osborne's constituents would opt for wind or solar-generated energy, compared with just 15% who want gas Photograph: CHRISTOPHER THOMOND/Guardian

A total of 52% constituents in the poll went for the green energy systems, while 22% backed nuclear, 4% coal and 3% could not make up their minds or didn't know Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

Fracking was banned temporarily after it was blamed for two earth tremors in Blackpool in 2011 Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images