Controversial plans to burn coal under the seabed for gas off the west coast of Cumbria have been revealed.

A report released this week by Friends of the Earth said that Cluff Natural Resources has a licence for the underground coal gasification process off the coast of Maryport and Workington.

The process involves drilling boreholes up to 1km deep, setting fire to underground coal seams, and extracting the resulting gas to heat homes.

But according to the report by Friends of the Earth International, it has “left a trail of destruction in its wake across the world”.

Workington MP Sue Hayman has condemned the technology and said she did not want to see it used off the coast of Cumbria.

She said: "We're talking about carbon-based energy. We have problems with climate change and I don't think we should be investing in this. We need to be counteracting climate change in this county.

"What happened with the floods was to do also with climate change and we need to consider that."

Cluff Natural Resources was granted licence in 2013 for the 8,238-hectare site off the coast of Workington and in 2014 for the 10,003-hectare site in Maryport.

Mrs Hayman said the company would have to apply for planning permission before it started any work.

Both licences are due to expire in 2018.

The company said its plan would be for wells to be drilled from onshore wellsites or offshore platforms targeting coals between 600m and 1,000m deep.

Oxygen and water would be injected to support the gasification reaction with product syngas being transported by pipeline to an onshore processing facility.

Usage in Cumbria would most likely be for industrial heat and power.

The company added the Workington and Maryport areas were attractive due to the large coal resource located offshore and the close proximity of a number of potential industrial customers interested in using the technology.

Cluff Natural Resources dismissed the Friends of the Earth report as a "scaremongering tactic."

The Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly have put temporary moratoriums on underground coal gasification because of concerns over dangers.

A spokesman for the company said: "We have always acknowledged that a few UCG projects in other countries have failed to meet those standards which most stakeholders, including ourselves, would find acceptable.

"However we also recognise that a number of modern UCG projects have clearly demonstrated that with appropriate site selection, engineering and operational oversight the technology is capable of delivering a credible alternative to imported natural gas."

Jill Perry, member of the Green Party, said: "I think it's a really bad idea. We really shouldn't be going after carbon fossils, it's dangerous to the climate.

"UCG isn't safe, it's an experimental technology. There have been small-scale trials but they've usually resulted in groundwater contamination and or explosions.

"It works by burning coal, and releases lots of carbon dioxide.

"It seems that the West Cumbrian coast is regarded as fair game for UCG, coal mining, nuclear power and the Cumbrian climate can't take much more in the way of rainfall without further catastrophic flooding."