Knight Backs Sky Lantern Ban

East Yorkshire MP Sir Greg Knight has renewed his calls for the public to stop using Chinese Sky Lanterns and is calling for them to be banned.  

Although the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is also now urging people to steer clear of using them, DEFRA is stopping short of backing an outright ban.

Sir Greg says: “Sky lanterns can harm or kill animals, either by ingestion or by starting fires.  They also put farmers crops at risk of being set on fire and destroyed.”

He adds: “These lanterns all come to earth somewhere -usually on someone else’s land, and whilst they may look momentarily pretty in the sky, they soon become dangerous debris across the countryside. There are many ways to commemorate special occasions and other, better, ways to celebrate and thank our NHS workers, without creating unwanted litter or posing a fire risk – so I’m urging everyone to give sky lanterns a miss – especially now, whilst our emergency services are already stretched.”

“I am also calling for the law to be changed because I think we need to introduce a specific ban to deal with this problem. After all, these lanterns are, in reality, potentially lethal litter.”