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| Farmers warn on 'killer' lanterns | Farmers warn on 'killer' lanterns |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Chinese lanterns released into the air at outdoor events such as weddings are injuring and killing livestock, farmers have told the BBC. | |
| The paper lanterns with small candles inside can float for several miles before crashing to the ground. | The paper lanterns with small candles inside can float for several miles before crashing to the ground. |
| The National Farmers' Union has written to the government. Coastguards say they are often mistaken for distress flares. | The National Farmers' Union has written to the government. Coastguards say they are often mistaken for distress flares. |
| UK-based maker Sky Lanterns says it is introducing safer lanterns and wants models using metal wire banned. | |
| Farmers from across the country have contacted the BBC, complaining the lanterns are causing a serious problem. | |
| The lanterns have long been used in ceremonies in Asia, where releasing them is thought to bring good luck and prosperity. | The lanterns have long been used in ceremonies in Asia, where releasing them is thought to bring good luck and prosperity. |
| Pat Stanley, who breeds pedigree cattle near Coalville, Leicestershire, told BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme she had found lanterns in her fields. | Pat Stanley, who breeds pedigree cattle near Coalville, Leicestershire, told BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme she had found lanterns in her fields. |
| She said: "They may be very pretty, but they're incredibly dangerous and I would like to see them banned." | She said: "They may be very pretty, but they're incredibly dangerous and I would like to see them banned." |
| She had actually eaten part of the lantern and the fine wire inside it had punctured her oesophagus Hugh Rowlands | She had actually eaten part of the lantern and the fine wire inside it had punctured her oesophagus Hugh Rowlands |
| "They're made of a hoop of bamboo, which in itself is a very sharp piece of wood when it's broken, and then there's a crosspiece of wire, very dangerous wire. | "They're made of a hoop of bamboo, which in itself is a very sharp piece of wood when it's broken, and then there's a crosspiece of wire, very dangerous wire. |
| "If we silage-make in any of these fields, this is all going to be chopped to pieces, if we don't see it and find it. That's going to go into my silage clamp and next year I'm going to have dead cows." | "If we silage-make in any of these fields, this is all going to be chopped to pieces, if we don't see it and find it. That's going to go into my silage clamp and next year I'm going to have dead cows." |
| She also voiced concerns a lit lantern could cause a fire if it landed on a thatched roof or in a field of corn. | She also voiced concerns a lit lantern could cause a fire if it landed on a thatched roof or in a field of corn. |
| She added: "If you went fly-tipping rubbish in the countryside and somebody caught you doing it you could be prosecuted. People can launch this rubbish into the air, it can cause tremendous damage and nobody knows where it's come from." | She added: "If you went fly-tipping rubbish in the countryside and somebody caught you doing it you could be prosecuted. People can launch this rubbish into the air, it can cause tremendous damage and nobody knows where it's come from." |
| Hugh Rowlands, who farms near Chester, told the programme: "I found a pedigree Red Poll cow on her side in the field. She was struggling for breath and her neck had swollen up considerably and she actually died almost exactly 48 hours after we found her. | Hugh Rowlands, who farms near Chester, told the programme: "I found a pedigree Red Poll cow on her side in the field. She was struggling for breath and her neck had swollen up considerably and she actually died almost exactly 48 hours after we found her. |
| They're often mistaken for marine distress flares and every marine distress flare that we are notified about, we have to investigate thoroughly to make sure that there's nobody in distress or injured or needing assistance, involved with it Maritime and Coastguard Agency search and rescue operations manager Jeff Matthews | They're often mistaken for marine distress flares and every marine distress flare that we are notified about, we have to investigate thoroughly to make sure that there's nobody in distress or injured or needing assistance, involved with it Maritime and Coastguard Agency search and rescue operations manager Jeff Matthews |
| "I found the remains of a Chinese lantern within a few yards of where the cow had been lying... and it had been well-chewed. | "I found the remains of a Chinese lantern within a few yards of where the cow had been lying... and it had been well-chewed. |
| "Consulting the vet, his opinion was she had actually eaten part of the lantern and the fine wire inside it had punctured her oesophagus. So she'd in effect spent a long, painful 48 hours suffocating on her own feed." | "Consulting the vet, his opinion was she had actually eaten part of the lantern and the fine wire inside it had punctured her oesophagus. So she'd in effect spent a long, painful 48 hours suffocating on her own feed." |
| Ruth Pidsley, a farmer from the Wirral, said she woke up one morning to find 57 Chinese lanterns dotted around her farm. | Ruth Pidsley, a farmer from the Wirral, said she woke up one morning to find 57 Chinese lanterns dotted around her farm. |
| She said: "We were concerned that, if we hadn't picked them all up and they ended up in the silage, the wire element could be very dangerous for the cattle. | She said: "We were concerned that, if we hadn't picked them all up and they ended up in the silage, the wire element could be very dangerous for the cattle. |
| "We have had a couple of cattle that have had some sort of eating problem, but we do just wonder whether it is due to the fact there have been little bits of wire in the silage." | "We have had a couple of cattle that have had some sort of eating problem, but we do just wonder whether it is due to the fact there have been little bits of wire in the silage." |
| Fire hazard | Fire hazard |
| Coastguards have reported several cases of false alarms after lanterns were mistaken for red flares sent up by boats in distress. | Coastguards have reported several cases of false alarms after lanterns were mistaken for red flares sent up by boats in distress. |
| We're working on a new Sky Lantern, which will be coming in in the next month or so, with no wire Sky Lanterns | |
| Jeff Matthews, a search and rescue operations manager from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, urged people living near the coast to notify coastguards if they are planning to let off the Chinese lanterns. | Jeff Matthews, a search and rescue operations manager from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, urged people living near the coast to notify coastguards if they are planning to let off the Chinese lanterns. |
| He told BBC News: "They're often mistaken for marine distress flares and every marine distress flare that we are notified about, we have to investigate thoroughly to make sure that there's nobody in distress or injured or needing assistance, involved with it." | He told BBC News: "They're often mistaken for marine distress flares and every marine distress flare that we are notified about, we have to investigate thoroughly to make sure that there's nobody in distress or injured or needing assistance, involved with it." |
| A spokesman for Essex-based Sky Lanterns said: "We're working on a new Sky Lantern, which will be coming in in the next month or so, with no wire. | |
| "It has been a big issue - but if a problem comes up we like to look at it and work with people to see how we can resolve it." | |
| He said other products on the market would continue to use wire, adding: "We would like a ban on the metal ones." | |
| The company's website urges anyone planning to use the lanterns near the coast to notify coastguards and warns against releasing them near dry crops. | |
| Sky Lanterns says its products are 100% biodegradable. | |
| Last year Jersey politician Constable Dan Murphy called for stricter controls over use of the lanterns because of fears about their risk as a fire hazard. | Last year Jersey politician Constable Dan Murphy called for stricter controls over use of the lanterns because of fears about their risk as a fire hazard. |