Trump attacks 'awful' Scottish wind farms

Mr Trump has been an outspoken critic of wind farms in Scotland

Donald Trump urged Nigel Farage to campaign against wind farms in Scotland because he believes they "sully" the country's beauty, it has been claimed.

The president-elect, who fought against an offshore wind project near his Aberdeenshire golf resort, met Mr Farage in New York last week.

Mr Trump has now indicated that the subject of wind farms was brought up.

Leave EU campaigner Andy Wigmore, who was at the meeting, said Mr Trump was "offended" by wind turbines.

'Beautiful countryside'

But Mr Wigmore said the entrepreneur had urged him and Mr Farage, the interim UKIP leader, to "campaign against getting rid of wind farms in the way they currently stand" and to instead "get them offshore".

Mr Wigmore said: "He has got a bugbear - he doesn't like wind farms at all. He says 'when I look out of my window and I see these windmills, it offends me. You've got to do something about these windmills. Let's put them offshore, why spoil the beautiful countryside?'"

The exchange is said to have happened when Mr Farage visited Trump Towers in New York last week

Mr Trump believes wind turbines "sully" the Scottish landscape

During an interview with the New York Times, when asked about whether the subject of wind farms was discussed during the meeting with Mr Farage, Mr Trump said: "I might have brought it up."

Mr Wigmore also said Mr Trump had described Scotland as the "most beautiful country ever", but that he did not want it to be "sullied by these awful windmills".

Last December the Supreme Court rejected Mr Trump's challenge to the offshore wind farm project near his Menie golf resort.

His company the Trump Organisation previously lost two legal bids in the Scottish courts after ministers approved proposals for an 11-turbine scheme which Mr Trump said would spoil the view from his course.

He took his case to the Supreme Court, where justices unanimously dismissed his appeal.

Commenting on the recent discussion about wind farms, WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: "One would have thought Mr Trump would have far more important issues to be dealing with.

"The reality is that offshore wind turbines are already making a significant contribution to the UK's power supply. And, given that Scotland is home to a quarter of Europe's offshore wind resource, we should be aiming to make the most of this clean power source."