Paper lanterns 'risk to farmland'

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Chinese lanterns which have been released into the air are damaging crops and farmland, farmers in north Wales have claimed.

The National Farmers' Union Cymru said members in Denbighshire and Flintshire had reported a rise in the number of lanterns landing on their property.

The lanterns, which you light in a similar way to a candle, have become popular at festivals and parties.

Both the flame and the wire frame posed hazards, the union said.

A spokesman said the lanterns were often released in large numbers and could fly for up to 20 minutes before burning out, reaching heights of a mile, making them very difficult to trace.

Clwyd NFU Cymru County Chairman Richard Tomlinson said: "Bought for as little as £2.40, these lanterns can cause severe damage to crops and farm land.

"It is not only the small flame which burns inside the lantern to create the glowing effect that is considered dangerous, the metal wire frame which a fuel cell is hosted inside can also cause damage.

It could wreck machinery or be chopped up and get into animal feed - if digested by an animal it could cause significant injuries."

The union plans to write to Defra's animal health agency raising its concerns about the issue.

It has taken part in previous campaigns to reduce the numbers of helium balloons being released.

Mr Tomlinson added: "I would urge anyone, from individuals to professional party organisers, to think twice about the risks posed when these lanterns are released."

UFO sightings

The rise in the use of paper lanterns has sparked a series of incidents around the country, with people reporting UFO sightings shortly after they have been released into the air.

Last year in the Vale of Glamorgan, a police helicopter reported a UFO sighting in the sky above St Athan.

The story made headlines around the world, but a few weeks later, returning honeymooners Lucy and Lyn Thomas believed they had inadvertently caused the media furore with the release of lanterns at their wedding on the same night.

Emergency services including several coastguard teams, have asked the public to seriously consider whether they should use the lanterns or at the very least inform them if they are planning to release them.

Teams have been called out after the alarm was raised by people who thought they saw distress flares - or in one case a paraglider in trouble - only for them to discover the item in question was a lit lantern.