WHEN you're doing a bit of bird, the last thing you expect is that someone will start drilling a big deep hole just a short distance from your cell.

Escape route? Well, not exactly.

But it could be a well. Because what's happening at Kirkham Prison is that they are going to start drilling for oil or gas or both in a matter of days.

Lancashire County Council have given Archean Energy (UK) the go-ahead to search for the fossil fuels -- subject to restrictions discussed at a recent Fylde Borough Council planning committee.

And drillers are hoping that where there's muck there's brass -- as they will be looking for oil in the prison's vegetable patches!

Deputy governor Gordon Groves said oil wells in the onions were unlikely at the moment, though.

"It's simply an exploratory dig to investigate the mineral deposits below the surface," he said. "It's not going to be like Dallas."

Even if reservoirs are found the prison won't be quids in as all monies would be handled by Government.

"All we are going to get out of it as a prison is the revenue from a short-term lease of the site," he added. "No-one is going to get rich quick!"

Exploration is expected to centre on a two-acre site in an area used by prisoners for growing vegetables adjacent to the main prison accommodation. But Mr Groves said there were "no fears" of prisoners escaping. "Being an open prison many of our men work outside of the perimeter anyway," Mr Groves said.

And business will be much as usual. "It's two acres, so when you compare it to the rest of the 200-acre site it is only a tiny part."

Proposals for the exploration were agreed subject to restrictions on November 7 by Lancashire County Council.

But the issue went before Fylde Borough's planning committee recently for councillor's to discuss the restrictions, and discuss concerns about noise from the operation disturbing homeowners.

The exploration is expected to include the erection of a 36 metre-high drilling deck operating on a non-stop, 24-hour basis for two to four weeks.

In a report planners told councillors that homes lie only 340 metres away from the drilling site and that night work could also cause noise disturbance.

Councillors resolved there would be no objection to the planning application in principle and put forward conditions that the drilling operation could not go on for more than a month, drill installation should take place during daylight hours and a scheme to keep noise levels down should be agreed and set up before the work goes ahead.

Phil Mason, Archean Energy's land manager, confirmed the drilling was going ahead and added: "We have carried out a noise study in the area. We don't envisage that there is going to be a problem."