Councils across UK urged to introduce ban on sky lanterns

The NFU would like to see a total ban of sky lanterns across England and Wales to safeguard property and animals
The NFU would like to see a total ban of sky lanterns across England and Wales to safeguard property and animals

As Bonfire Night approaches, farmers have urged councils across England and Wales to introduce a total ban on sky lanterns to avoid fires, harm to animals and littering.

Over 60 local authorities have already introduced bans across the UK.

A petition has been created to introduce an outright ban, which has totaled nearly 38,000 signatories and has a deadline of March 2018.

It states that sky lanterns litter the environment, causing death to wildlife and livestock, and can cause uncontrollable fires that destroy life and property.

Farmers have urged more councils to ban the lanterns, which are frequently set off during winter around Bonfire Night, Christmas and the New Year.

'Gruesome injuries'

NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said the farming union has heard from farmers about the "devastating damage" sky lanterns have caused to buildings and fields on their.

She said farmers have told of "gruesome injuries" they can cause to livestock and other animals.

“Simply put, all of these lanterns must land somewhere and while they may look pretty in the sky, they also become unnecessary litter across our beautiful countryside,” Ms Batters explained.

“We have already seen numerous councils ban sky lanterns, who have rightly recognised the danger they pose, and I would encourage the remaining local authorities to follow the good examples set across the country.

“The NFU would like to see a total ban of sky lanterns across England and Wales to safeguard property and animals.”

An outright ban on their use across Wales remains the primary objective for RSPCA Cymru.

However, they have welcomed “considerable progress” in recent years, with 17 of Wales’ 22 Local Authorities having implemented local bans on their release on the land which they control.

Below is a list of local authorities and councils across England and Wales which have implemented a ban.

North East

Kirklees Borough Council

South Tyneside Borough Council

East Midlands

Lincoln City Council

West Midlands

Worcester City Council

Staffordshire County Council

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

Warwickshire County Council

South West

Plymouth City Council

Mid Devon District Council

Cornwall Council

South Hams District Council

Swindon Borough Council

West Dorset District Council

South East

Redbridge

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council

Canterbury City Council

Hampshire County Council

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council

Winchester City Council

Wandsworth

Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council

Portsmouth City Council

Vale of White Horse District Council

Chesham Town Council

Isle of Wight Council

North West

Bolton Borough Council

Oldham Borough Council

Stockport Borough Council

Tameside Borough Council

Trafford Borough Council

Cheshire East Council

Cheshire West and Chester Council

Carlisle City Council

Lancaster City Council

East Anglia

Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Maldon District Council

Ipswich Borough Council

Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council

Suffolk Coastal District Council

Thanet District Council

Rochford District Council

Essex County Council

Norfolk County Council

Suffolk County Council

Braintree District Council

Colchester Borough Council

Broadland District Council

Waveney District Council

Wales

Cardiff

Blaenau Gwent

Carmarthenshire

Bridgend

Caerphilly

Ceredigion

Conwy

Denbighshire

Gwynedd

Monmouthshire

Neath Port Talbot

Newport

Pembrokeshire

Powys

Rhondda

Torfaen

Vale of Glamorgan