I START by saying that I am not a member of UKIP but confess I am absolutely opposed to our membership of the EU and have been lobbying against the same for nearly 20 years.

I was taken aback by the fantasy written by Mr Young in his letter (Review, February 12) and that it was published.

When time permits, perhaps I’ll submit a letter for publication about the authorities covering up the presence of mermaids in the river Lyd.

Mr Young wrote: “I formed my opinion of Mr Farage long ago that he is a complete fake. I do not believe that he wants the UK to to actually leave the EU.”

I guess every village has to have its conspiracy theorist and Mr Young probably believes the world is flat and the Moon landing was a fake, Hollywood put up.

However, one only has to look at the at the facts.

Like him or loathe him, the one thing Farage has been absolutely consistent about is our leaving the EU.

He leads a party called UKIP and the clue is in the name.

As far as I am aware, he has never uttered a word in favour of staying in the EU.

Only last week on the BBC’s Question Time he was urging the audience to vote to leave the EU and he has recently aligned UKIP to other ‘out’ campaigns.

Indeed, I would go so far as to say that in my opinion, Farage was instrumental in forcing the UK government into offering a referendum on the EU.

Without his presence, I doubt that it would have been promised.

To suggest that he wants us to stay in the EU really shows credulity.

The alleged existence of ‘illegal treaties’, which could overturn our membership of the EU, is interesting but no more provable than the existence of a Yeti.

Does Mr Young really believe that those passionate about leaving the EU (such as me and my 20-year-old network of EUphobes) would not uncover such ‘illegal’ EU treaties and not go to the European Court of Justice to get them overturned if they really existed and there was a prospect of success? 

I have come across some whacky conspiracy theories in the past but this one really takes the biscuit!

I guess it is unbelievable stuff like this that keeps the letters page so lively and interesting. More about those mermaids another time.

– Tom Atkinson, Lydney.