Redcar and Cleveland council bans lantern releases after fire

Sky lanterns are often released in memory of a deceased loved one

A council has banned the releasing of sky lanterns and helium balloons from its land after a farm caught fire.

Redcar and Cleveland Council said it understood many have been released in memory of deceased loved ones but the debris poses a danger and caused litter problems.

It follows a farm fire caused by a drifting lantern close to Guisborough earlier in the year.

The council is also banning the use of snares to trap animals on its land.

Sky lanterns, which are also known as Chinese lanterns, are made from paper and wire and function like hot air balloons because a flame inside the paper shell warms the air inside, which allows it to stay airborne.

They can travel for distances of up to 30 miles.

'Potentially fatal'

Releasing lanterns on public land is banned throughout Wales, but is still permitted in parts of England, although earlier this year the National Farmers Union (NFU) fronted a campaign calling for a nationwide UK ban.

Councillor Anne Watts, who brought the motion to ban the releases, said: "I acknowledge that Chinese lanterns and balloons are often released in memory of a loved one, but it can be very dangerous to put a naked flame inside flimsy paper and send it off into the unknown, particularly in rural areas."

The council said helium balloons were also a danger to pets and wildlife and the prohibition of the sale and release of them, and sky lanterns, would be included as "a new condition into the council's event licences, licences to occupy and leases".

A spokesman said: "Entanglement in the balloons' strings can cause injury and ingestion of the balloon material presents potentially fatal consequences, such as choking and internal organ damage."

The authority expressed a desire that the government should ban lanterns and helium balloons elsewhere in England and "publicise the dangers of buying these items for use in private spaces".

The council also banned the snares after the issue was raised by councillor Philip Thompson who said they were "cruel and barbaric" with "no place in modern Britain".