Vivienne Westwood and son, Joe Corre, with anti-fracking protesters outside, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road fracking site on 16 October 2018. Photo: Ki Price/Getty Images

The fashion designer and environmental campaigner, Dame Vivienne Westwood, joined protests against fracking in Lancashire.

She and her son, Joe Corre, visited shale gas opponents outside Cuadrilla’s site at Preston New Road near Blackpool, where fracking started yesterday.

Dame Vivienne danced to Abba’s Dancing Queen, the same song used by Theresa May at the Conservative Party Conference.

Video: Refracktion.com

Mr Corre accused the government of “standing up for a dying oil and gas industry”, defying local objections to fracking and breaching obligations under the Paris climate agreement.

“Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Germany have all rejected fracking. England has been left flapping in the wind.

“The Conservative Government is now isolated as the only main political party waving the last and final flag of air polluting fracking.

“But now even Tory politicians are seeing sense and rejecting Fracking”.

“Tory MPs know the next election depends on them rejecting fracking at all costs and standing up for communities’ right to decide”.

The pro-fracking group, Lancashire for Shale issued a statement this evening:

“The hard working people and businesses of Lancashire deserve the chance to benefit from the opportunities that a successful shale gas industry will be responsible for – opportunities that this poorly informed, politically motivated millionaire seems to want to deny them.

“It’s also rather ironic that she should come here to criticise the environmental credentials of UK shale gas considering that the fashion industry is one of the top five most polluting industries in the world.”