A huge sky-lantern event set to commence in the Peak District has been slammed by opponents as irresponsible due to the heightened risk of wildfires.
The Lights Fest, organised by a US company which promises families to "ignite their personalised sky lanterns with Tiki torches and let them take flight," is due to be held at Buxton Raceway, Derbyshire, close to moorland.
The event is scheduled to take place on 28 July. The Peak District National Park has said the risk of fires from sky lanterns will be "lethal" to local wildlife and the environment.
It follows recent moorland and gorse fires seen throughout the UK during the ongoing heatwave, most notably at Saddleworth Moor, Winter Hill and Glenshane Pass, Northern Ireland.
The national park said sky lanterns are "devastating to the landscape, lethal for wildlife and a threat to people and homes".
Derbyshire Fire & Rescue are now in talks with the event organisations to cancel it from going ahead. The Derbyshire Events Safety Advisory Group has also expressed concerns.
The public and the local farming industry in Dumfries and Galloway successfully put a stop to a Lights Fest sky lantern event last month.
It was due to take place on the Springkell estate near Lockerbie in September, but it attracted heavy criticism from local farmers, who said the timing of the event was particularly bad since harvest would be under way.
The farming industry has frequently warned of the damage the sky lanterns bring to livestock health and farm buildings, which pose a threat as a dangerous fire hazard.
