<P> After the Scottish shale oil industry reached its peak in the 19th century, the British government became increasingly concerned to find secure sources of fuel oil for the Royal Navy . This led to a nationwide search for onshore oil during the First World War and a modest discovery of oil at Hardstoft in Derbyshire . </P> <P> In 1934, the country's oil resources were nationalised by the Petroleum Production Act, and a fresh attempt was made to find oil on the UK mainland . The outbreak of World War II accelerated this search and led to a number of wells being drilled, primarily around Eakring in the East Midlands . </P> <P> In the 1950s, the focus turned to southern England where oil was discovered in the Triassic Sherwood Sands formation at 5200 feet, followed by the development of the Wych Farm oilfield . The link between onshore and offshore oil in the North Sea was made after the discovery of the Groningen gas field in The Netherlands in 1959 . </P> <P> Since 1965, 3,970 exploration and appraisal wells have been drilled offshore on the UKCS (United Kingdom Continental Shelf). In 2014, 104 new wells and 54 sidetracks were drilled . </P>

Where does uk get oil and gas from