Let me start by saying I am against the fracking protests in the village of Balcombe.

It seems that sooner or later we are going to have to find some form of sustainable energy and, if that be by fracking, at least let the company investigate and see if this can be a safe and viable proposition.

As an ordinary, working-class person, I am fed up with Greens and their kind trying to save the world at a monetary cost that I and most normal people simply cannot afford.

If fracking can be done safely, with a guarantee of reduced energy bills, then for goodness sake at least let them investigate.

However, no matter how strongly I feel about this, I feel even more at odds with the behaviour of a certain section of the police in these protests.

If I was a foreigner seeing televised news reports of some of the police in this matter, I would genuinely think I was looking at a police state. These modern-day strong-arm tactics being utilised by a branch of the police force make me ashamed to be British.

I think it is pretty obvious from what I have stated earlier that I am no fan of Caroline Lucas, but the sight of her son having his ear-lobe pinched to stop him from linking arms so he could be arrested was disgusting, and of course there were other instances of these unacceptable tactics.

If two police officers are incapable of arresting a normally-built person without resorting to this kind of behaviour, what are they doing in the police force?

There are, of course, circumstances when police do need to be more forceful, but a fracking protest in Balcombe? I don’t think so.

Most police officers give an excellent service to the public and I for one am grateful to them, but please think again about these tactics.

Steve Frost, Shelley Close, Lewes