Surely I am not alone in being irked by minority groups claiming to speak for the people of Wiltshire?

Who are these people who condemn fracking so roundly and are prepared to use any legal means to stop it? Whoever they are, they haven’t bothered to seek the opinion of the majority and it follows that they have no right to speak for us.

There is no doubt that fracking offers us the prospect of being virtually self-sufficient in energy and will reduce the cost, a factor that many hard-pressed families would appreciate. With the problems in the Ukraine and Russia, the case for home-produced energy is both obvious and compelling.

However, many question whether it is safe and that issue needs to be addressed. Addressed not by people who have little interest in fact and are already entrenched in an “anti-fracking camp” culture.

I very much hope that, at the right time, Wiltshire Council will facilitate public meetings where experts can explain the issues so that we can make our minds up on a rational, scientific basis.

 Tony Sedgwick, London Road, Devizes.