FASHION designer Dame Vivienne Westwood helped “declare war” on fracking by riding a tank past the home of Witney MP and Prime Minister David Cameron.

The 74-year-old, also known for her outspoken environmental campaigning, sat atop the white vehicle as it trundled through Chadlington, before heading on to Mr Cameron’s house in Dean yesterday.

About 50 protestors joined her, including a group from Lancashire known as the “Anti-fracking Nanas”, showed their support and said the protest “declared war on fracking”.

Thames Valley Police officers oversaw the demonstration and a police helicopter could be seen hovering above.

Dame Vivienne told the Oxford Mail: “I tried my best to get across to the community the dangers of fracking on the environment and how we need to act now before it is too late.

“We need to get together and urgently mobilise people. And I can’t tell you if the protest was a success or not, we can only wait and see if that happened.

“We need to deal with climate change now before it becomes irreversible .”

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: “Independent regulators examine companies’ drilling proposals and will robustly enforce their safety, health and environmental regulations effectively. They will not allow hazardous operations.

“Any chemicals used in fracking are subject to assessment by the Environment Agency who will not permit their use if there is a risk to the environment or people’s health.”