A Suffolk farmer is calling for sky lanterns to be banned after raising concerns about the dangers the flying balloons pose by potentially causing fires and endangering wildlife.
Eddie Baker, an arable farmer at Laxfield, said dozens of the lanterns had landed 'all round the village' after being released following a funeral service at the village's All Saints Church on Monday.
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He said the lanterns posed a risk to thatched cottages in the immediate vicinity, while the historic Grade II-listed King's Head pub, known locally as The Low House, also had a thatched roof.
In addition, Mr Baker said Laxfield was surrounded by farmland and crops, which could be ignited in the current dry weather, including the barley wheat and oil seed he produces on his own farm.
He added: "The point is these things should be banned. It is a fire risk and it is a hazard to wildlife. You are putting fire up in the sky and you don't know where these things are going to land."
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He found one of the lanterns, measuring a metre high and a metre in diameter on his farmland and said he was also worried about the litter left by the lanterns which animals could explore and eat, potentially putting them at risk of injury.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich said: “We are aware lanterns were released following a funeral at All Saints Church in Laxfield.
“Those involved did not ask permission from the church to release the lanterns.”
The National Farmers Union (NFU), which represents the farming community, has launched a petition calling for a total ban on sky lanterns across England and Wales.
The petition has collected more than 100,000 signatures and the NFU has written to environment minister Trudy Harrison calling for a national ban.
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NFU vice president David Exwood said: "Sky lanterns continue to be a real danger to many of us living and working in the countryside.
"They can cause serious injury to livestock if they are eaten, particularly with so many calves and lambs in the fields in the spring and summer months.
"As the weather gets drier the potential for damage to crops and buildings is also increased.
“By launching this petition and galvanising the support of the British public, we can show the UK government, and the Defra minister with responsibility, Jo Churchill MP, that there is widespread support for a total ban of sky lanterns in England and Wales.
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"I urge farmers and growers to add their name and help ground sky lanterns for good."
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has also recommended that sky lanterns are not used.
On social media site Twitter, the service said: "Sky lanterns can travel miles before landing, causing fires and injuring livestock. Once they have been set off, you have no control over them.
"We strongly recommend that you do not use them, particularly in dry conditions."
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