Farmer ‘offered free lapdances’ if he sited windfarm on his land

A FARMER was offered cash and a trip to a local lap dancing club in exchange for allowing a company to build a wind turbine on his land, according to a council document.

The apparent bribe was made as part of an alleged “dirty tricks” campaign to use financial incentives as a sweetener for more turbines across Wales.

During a meeting of Nelson Community Council near Caerphilly, minutes show that a member of the public made the claim that Bute Energy, a Scottish company focused on green power schemes, had made the peculiar offer to one of their local farmers.

The clean energy company strongly denies this allegation, saying that no such offer was ever made. A spokesman for Bute Energy said: “This allegation is baseless and unfounded. It should never have been published by Nelson Community Council as any form of credible or approved council minutes. Based, as it is on hearsay, gossip and innuendo, the claim in the minutes is defamatory and the matter is now in the hands of our lawyers.”

The villagers, who have been locked in a disagreement with the company over their tactics to persuade landowners to put wind generators and pylons on their land, are concerned they would not only ruin the landscape but also impact their essential tourism industry.

Some landowners have signed up for turbines on their land which could earn them up to £100,000-a-year.

But the secret deals have sickened neighbours, including many who have invested in campsites, rental cottages and B&BS.

They have turned down offers of £5,000 compensation and accuse Bute Energy of dodgy dealing “over the kitchen table” and say the 200ft-high generators will destroy the countryside.

Jesse Hutchings, 37, works for Fforest Fields, a campsite at risk of being surrounded by 19 wind turbines, if plans go through. She said: “I was offered around £5,000, dependent on how many pylons and turbines are put up.”

But when asked if she thought this was enough, she responded: “Absolutely not. Not at all. We don’t want them in our area or on our land. We don’t trust them. No figure will ever be big enough.

“They have taken apart our community and our land and we want absolutely nothing to do with them.”