box of 10 sky laterns £4

frankpig

Yes they are pretty, but I am surprised that they are not banned!

Please please ensure that, if you do buy them, you only buy the biodegradable ones and do not buy the ones with wires or bamboo frames in. Farm and wild animals will naturally investigate the debris in their field and they present a choking hazard and if the animals eat them a painful death could ensue. There are also concerns that they could, for example, fall to earth in a rural area and start a barn or hay fire (even the non-wired ones present this risk). The wires can also cause cuts for walkers or animals.

They may be a cheap deal at the point of sale and seem like a bargain, but the longer term repercussions do not bear thinking about! I'm not an environmentalist but I do live in a semi rural area and I have seen quite a few of these wires in fields when out hiking, so the risk is a real one.

SparkleWitch

I looked out on NYE and the sky was full of them. Very pretty until one came crashing out of control into the oak tree in our garden & set light to next doors outbuilding

rowens101

SparkleWitch wrote: »

I looked out on NYE and the sky was full of them. Very pretty until one came crashing out of control into the oak tree in our garden & set light to next doors outbuilding

god thats awful, we tried one once but don't think we unfolded it enough and one of the sides started to catch light. luckily managed to put it out instead of letting it go as i think that may have happened with ours if it had gone! I wouldn't get them again

mittenkitten

ok have done a bit of readin gup on these, and you can order 100% bio degradable ones, ie. without the wiring inside, so they then pose no danger to livestock...
as for risk of fire, well yes, we all have to be all growed up when playing with fireworks/sky lanterns etc etc

frankpig

mittenkitten wrote: »

ok have done a bit of readin gup on these, and you can order 100% bio degradable ones, ie. without the wiring inside, so they then pose no danger to livestock...
as for risk of fire, well yes, we all have to be all growed up when playing with fireworks/sky lanterns etc etc

Agreed re the biodegradable options.

It's still a burning candle in the air which is going to come down somewhere a few miles away (and hopefully not on drying crops/haystack/barn). Whereas fireworks tend to have a fairly limited area so at least you know if you've set fire to something close by!

AnthonyUK

Brightstar Fireworks Sky Lanterns have no wire frame,and are safer.

Enormo

jammin wrote: »

Do I need to put the hyphens in?

With the quotes (copy/paste) is best as it will find the newspaper article that also has hyphens. Without them will also find other relative info.

2nd_Time_Lucky

went for a walk today and the fields are littered with them- even in the trees :mad:

deanos

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327957/Mother-calls-Chinese-lantern-ban-son-scalded-molten-wax.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1236354/Farmer-calls-ban-killer-Chinese-lantern-fells-cow.html

blue_monkey_2

We saw one going past our window last NYE and it ended up in the tree above our shed. I was terrified it would come down and set fire to the shed. Even more terrified when at a camping event last year someone started sending them up when our kids were asleep in a tent nearby. I do not even want to think what would have happened had it come down on a tent.

They have now been banned from further camping events!!

You might be able to see it going up but have no idea where it will come down and onto what. Yes, that could even be a tent that someone is sleeping in on a camp site. Yes fireworks are sent up but usually they are out by the time they come down. Some of these are most definately still burning.