Indeed. My comment was very much tongue in cheek as it appears that Mr. Jones is now something of a minor environmental celebrity in these parts of South Cheshire. However it also appears that many of his new fans are totally unaware of the gas storage facilities and that permission for fracking would likely be refused anyway.

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!