Fire & Rescue Service: " Don’t use sky lanterns to show your support for the NHS"

Do not use eco-destructive Chinese / sky lanterns to support the NHS 

Very pretty to watch admittedly - but with negative ramifications for the fragile ecosystem.

Back in April, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service urged those in the county to avoid using sky lanterns at all costs. This is because of the fire risk they pose, especially during a time when moorland is tremendously dry and combustible - posing serious risk to wildlife and the environment.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said on Wednesday April 15: "Please don’t use sky lanterns to show your support for the NHS and other key workers. The moors are tinder dry at the moment and they could cause a wildfire or harm wildlife such as horses and cattle."

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has asked the public to find other ways of showing their support for NHS staff and volunteers, particularly following a period of largely warm, dry weather, which increases the risk of wildfires at a time when vital services are overextended due to Covid-19.

Roy Wilsher, NFCC chairman, said: “Setting off sky lanterns is misguided. While I fully understand people wanting to show their support to the NHS, I would encourage people to find a different way to do this.”

The Marine Conservation Society has a list of councils (which includes Sefton) that have a 'balloon and/or sky lantern release ban' in place...

https://www.mcsuk.org/campaigns/dont-let-go-councils

Chinese lanterns pose danger to livestock. When released into the air at outdoor occasions such as weddings they are killing livestock, farmers say.

These uncontrolled paper lanterns with candles inside can float for many miles before crashing into the ground. They can cause injury or death if eaten by animals. They have also caused serious fires. Mowing machinery may also shred up the wire frames of lanterns into small pieces, which are then eaten by livestock with potentially fatal consequences.

Many of us have unwittingly used Chinese Lanterns in the past, without realising the dangers involved.

Nevertheless, today the evidence indicates that these flying bags of flaming junk need to be taken off the shelves asap.