PRIME Minister and Witney MP David Cameron has been criticised for saying he would be “very happy” for fracking to come to his constituency.

Witney town and district councillor Duncan Enright accused Mr Cameron of using the comment to get “off the hook” in a difficult exchange in Parliament.

The Prime Minister made the comments during an exchange in the House of Commons liaison committee last week.

Mr Enright, Labour’s prospective parliamentry candidate for Witney, said: “I am not convinced at all by fracking because I don’t think it can contribute to Britain positively, but it would be foolish to do it in West Oxfordshire anyway.

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“In America there are vast open areas of outback that are not populated, but it’s not the same in this country and certainly not here.

“But clearly there is no way it is likely to be a goer in this area and David Cameron has said this off the cuff to get himself off the hook in Westminster.”

An expert at the British Geographical Survey said there was not thought to be any shale gas in Witney that would be targeted for fracking.

Shale gas research co-ordinator Ed Hough said: “Although the area has not been studied in detail, rocks with the appropriate composition and geological history are not thought to be present in Oxfordshire that would be targets for shale gas.”

Mr Cameron’s comments came as he was being questioned by the liaison committee about the fracking industry in the UK.

During a heated exchange, committee member Anne McIntosh, MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: “With the greatest respect, Prime Minister, it is not coming to Witney any time soon.”

But Mr Cameron responded by saying he “would be very happy if it did”. He also told the committee that fracking in the UK could be done in a “calm, rational, sensible and scientifically based way”.

Hydraulic fracturing – known as “fracking” – involves drilling into the ground and pumping water, sand and chemicals into rock to fracture it, releasing gas and oil.

The Government has issued more than 175 licences for onshore oil and gas exploration in the UK in a number of “rounds”.

In the 14th round a large part of North Oxfordshire, an area north of Oxford and a small area by Westwell, in West Oxfordshire, are included.

Mr Cameron has previously faced criticism from environmental groups for supporting proposals to allow horizontal drilling under private properties.

But he told the committee if it could be done safely and in a way that benefited communities it should be pursued.

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