Britain urgently needs shale gas to reduce energy dependence from Russia, its PM David Cameron said Wednesday.

The Guardian quotes him as saying that the country has a duty to step up gas production.

Cameron described Ukraine's crisis as a "wake up call" for the possible repercussions that reliance on Russian gas could have on Europe.

Britain's Prime Minister declared he wanted work to kick off at some gas wells by the end of the year, as this would set an example of how good energy self-sufficiency might be.

The Daily Mail has however quoted fracking firms representative Ken Cronin, who suggests commercial production of gas is planned to begin "by the end of the decade."

Cameron also believes it is Britain's duty to secure energy independence through fracking.

Moscow is in charge of a third of Europe's gas supplies, but countries like Britain and Poland are firm that the EU has to look into other ways to prevent an energy crisis that might follow.

Poland depends mostly on domestically produced coal, whereas Britain itself, apart from preparing to use shale gas, is seeking ways to boost its nuclear energy capacity.

The UK imports less than 1% of Russian gas and would not be as vulnerable to an energy crisis as Germany, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Greece. However, 2009's gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which caused large-scale disruption of supplies to Europe, made energy prices in the country soar.

Hydraulic fracking, the method used to extract shale gas, has often been described by environmentalists as dangerous with its potential negative impact on nature. Countries like Bulgaria have imposed a moratorium on fracking.

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