THE directors of Ineos may complain about the SNP's moratorium on fracking (“Ratcliffe: SNP hypocrites for snubbing arrival of fracked gas”, The Herald, September 17. I consider that policy is one of the party's more principled stands, and hope it will continue. In the meantime, perhaps a representative of Ineos, or its cheerleaders in the press, could answer two simple questions about fracking.

First, can they name any community – not just individual landowners – which has welcomed fracking in their region, and who have observed property prices rise following permission to frack? Second, how do they propose to store the polluted output water from fracking, especially in view of increasing risk of flash flooding and storm surges?

Hazards associated with the fracking process are well documented in the press and in technical trade journals (New Scientist, National Geographic Magazine, Water World). Meanwhile there is neither a shortage of alternative sources of petroleum products, nor indeed of better, safer, and more labour-intensive (job-creating) sources of energy.

Graeme Orr,

15 Holehouse Brae, Neilston.