Council leader defends his Grand Theft Auto parody

South Norfolk Council leader Daniel Elmer is seen pretending to fire a toy rocket launcher in the parody video

A council leader has defended his decision to film a spoof video where he appears to blow up a solar farm and electricity pylon with a rocket launcher.

The social media post featuring South Norfolk Council's Conservative leader Daniel Elmer is a parody of the popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video game series.

Labour MP Ben Goldsborough condemned the move, calling it "deeply troubling".

Elmer said the video was "very clearly a joke" and was made to highlight local concerns about the development of green energy projects in the area.

Plans for energy infrastructure in Norfolk have been proving increasingly controversial.

Some of the UK's largest solar farms and battery energy storage sites have been proposed, while the 114-mile (183km) Norwich to Tilbury pylon scheme is due to run through the district.

The government has the final say on "nationally significant infrastructure projects", rather than the local council.

Labour's Ben Goldsborough criticised what he called "a stunt" by Elmer

In a short film posted by South Norfolk Council, Elmer is seen entering a dream sequence where he uses a toy rocket launcher to attack a solar farm and then a pylon.

The video makes multiple references to titles in the highly successful GTA series, including a "mission passed" notification, which appears when players complete a stage of the game.

After the dream sequence ends, Elmer tells viewers "we can't do that" and urges them to fill in a council survey about solar farms instead.

South Norfolk MP Ben Goldsborough said he knew "emotions run high" over pylons and solar farms but "pretending to blow them up on camera is deeply troubling".

"We need healthy debate, not alluding to acts of violence. The way forward is bringing people together in village halls, listening to each other and finding where we can agree," he added.

Elmer said he was a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series

Elmer – who became the council's leader last year – defended the move.

He said the number of infrastructure projects proposed for South Norfolk was "off the charts", adding "sometimes you have to do something that's a bit silly to raise awareness".

"It's very clearly a joke and very clearly intended as a parody. I think people appreciate a bit of straight-talking,"

"I do not believe for one second anyone is going to watch a South Norfolk council video of me and go out there and think, I can procure a rocket launcher and blow up a solar farm."