The49-year-oldfromHertfordshiredashedinside tograba camera, in time to capture the progress of one of the streaks of lightning over the hamlet in Charente Maratime, near La Rochelle.
In Mr de Lacoste's own department, Charente-Maritime, towns like La Rochelle and Rochefort are dominated by the centre-left, while the mainstream right controls the surrounding countryside.