Interestingly the leader of Cheshire East Council also failed to mention the many solution mined salt cavities across (South) Cheshire now used by some of the energy giants to store 'traded' natural gas.

I doubt the cavity operators would be impressed by other organisations fracking and releasing gas from their underground stores.

Given the top-tier COMAH status of these facilities I don't think that fracking would have been given the go ahead in these areas anyway so it was probably worth his while scoring a point.

The water would probably have soaked into the fractured shale deep below ground - expect to see this in a government press office release in the near future, repeated immediately by a compliant media.

And there is a very good question.

So, fracking will help flood control. Brilliant!

The only flaw in such a political comment would be that for many years ground water levels have been dangerously low and would fracking therefore make it worse!!

We'll basically lose any ground water deep inside the earth where it will turn to steam and come back through fissures as geysers - the whoel of the UK will then be declared a National Park along the lines of Yellowstone and we'll all have free hot water for life - but we'll have to catch rainwater to drink.

I can't really see a downside actually.

Geothermal power!