THE CLA in the North is appealing for a ban on the use of sky lanterns through stricter controls on entertainment licences.

With the festive season in full swing and New Year’s Eve, in particular, less than a week away, the CLA fears that there may be a serious accident.

It is urging local councils to amend their entertainment licence policy so that all new licences granted for a venue or an event include a clause prohibiting the use of sky lanterns.

Regional director Dorothy Fairburn said: “Sky lanterns are serious fire hazards and they also endanger the lives of grazing livestock as well as other wildlife.

“Those releasing lanterns often have no idea of the hazard they pose, nor do they consider the implications of releasing a naked flame with absolutely no control over where it will land.

“Lanterns that land in fields can get chopped up when farmers mow for silage or hay, resulting in fragments of wire in the forage. Cows, which naturally tend to chew things to check them out, get the wire trapped in their gut, resulting in an agonising, slow death.”

Many countries have already banned the use of sky lanterns, including Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Spain Germany and parts of the USA.

A licensing spokesperson for South Lakeland District Council said: “We are conscious of the campaign to reduce the use of sky lanterns nationally, and we will examine the evidence to consider whether banning them through entertainment licenses is appropriate.”

The CLA is looking to collect evidence of damage caused by sky lanterns to take to the Government.

It says anyone who has had problems caused by them falling on their land should email: north@cla.org.uk, call: 01749-907070 or address tweets to @CLANorth