People in East urged not to light sky lanterns during hot weather
The plea comes from the Country Land and Business Association following several fires in farm fields over the last week
Last updated 20th Jul 2022
While the weather may have cooled down from yesterday, we are all being encouraged not to light and release sky lanterns across the East.
The plea comes from the Country Land and Business Association following several fires in farm fields over the last week.
They say a lack of rainfall the last few weeks means the countryside remains desperately dry, making the issue worse.
"They risk losing all of that crop that they worked all year on"
Cath Crowther leads the CLA team in the East:
"There are some very dry crops out there that pose a serious fire risk. With the summer we see more people go into the countryside and we just urge those people to think about what they are doing, so you are not risking lighting a fire, devastating crops and livestock and then potential homes and livelihoods as well- because fire spreads quicker than you can run.
"There was a field fire just the other side of my village and you could see there was a tractor racing across to plough a break in the field because they risk losing all of that crop that they worked all year on".
"It can pose a significant risk to livestock, wildlife and rural businesses"
She says now's the worst time to be playing with fire in lanterns:
"We haven't had any rain for weeks now and we are having a lot of field fires already, so releasing a naked flame into the sky and having no control over where it falls can pose a significant risk to livestock, wildlife and rural businesses".
Ms Crowther told us they're lobbying government to have them completely banned:
"They look pretty for a few minutes as they float away but they are a real issue and we would encourage everyone to stay away from them because you have no idea where they are going to go or land, even in winter."