THE views of Tory toff Sir Nicholas Soames over fracking have caused outrage in Lancashire.

Old Etonian Sir Nicholas has said the controversial drilling for shale gas should start in the Trough of Bowland rather than in his Sussex constituency.

His comments have been branded as insulting and outrageous by anti-fracking campaigners as well as his Conservative colleague Nigel Evans.

And his suggestion has also been criticised for displaying the worst sort of nimbyism and ‘posh southern’ attitude to the north.

If Sir Nicholas, the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, was to venture away from London and his South East constituency he would know just how beautiful this part of our county is.

And he would understand that the Trough of Bowland is certainly not the ‘perfect’ place to try out the drilling process.

In fact, as Green candidate Mike Hargreaves points out, his best friend Prince Charles’ mother would not be happy as she once chose the area as her preferred location for a retirement home.

Sir Nicholas should also check his facts, because then he would know the Trough has been identified as geologically unsuitable for fracking because of its lack of sufficient amounts of shale gas.