After David Cameron revealed the strongest plans yet for fracking in the UK, the Prime Minister and his Chancellor George Osborne have come under fire for misleading the public about the impact of the controversial shale gas fracking process.

As well as downplaying environmental concerns, the Prime Minister is accused of exaggerating the benefits, specifically his claim that fracking will lead to lower energy bills. As pointed out in the New Statesman, it could be decades before UK fracking operations affect UK bill payers.

Shale gas fracking- energy solution or whole new crisis?

The Guardian’s George Monbiot attacks Cameron and Osborne’s plans in even stronger terms, accusing the PM and Chancellor of ignoring environmental concerns, specifically attacking Cameron over his claim that:

‘I would never sanction something that might ruin our landscapes and scenery. Shale gas pads are relatively small – about the size of a cricket pitch … The huge benefits of shale gas outweigh any very minor change to the landscape.’

Has Cameron gone too far on UK fracking?

Monbiot points out that an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 wells are forecast – hardly a ‘very minor change to the landscape.’

Cameron and fracking still have their supporters, however: The Telegraph’s editorial claims that ‘Rational debate had been drowned out by a shrieking chorus of protest at Balcombe.’

What do you think? Should UK fracking be encouraged or outlawed? Is Cameron right to press ahead with his controversial plans, and was he wrong to emphasise the benefits of shale gas fracking?