A COUPLE who run an equestrian centre in Uley are warning of the dangers of releasing sky lanterns and helium balloons as they declare their support for a national campaign.

Kat Ives and Cheralyn Wilcox-Ives, who run Newbrook Equestrian Centre, have noticed an increasing trend in people releasing lanterns (often called Chinese lanterns) and balloons from the hills surrounding their fields – presenting a serious danger to wildlife, crops and barns.

After finding countless lanterns and balloons on their site – including an incident in which a rope from a balloon became stuck in a horse’s mouth, sending the animal into a frenzy – the couple are going all out in their support of the National Farmers’ Union’s campaign against the use of lanterns and pushing for increased awareness of the issue.

Kat told the Gazette: “There is an increasing trend for letting off both sky lanterns and balloons from the hills above us. They do not go very far and more often than not they end up in our fields or neighbouring farms.

“With significant numbers of animals on the farms and crops and hay barns all around us, these are becoming a real menace landing in our fields all the time.

“We even had an incident where the rope from a helium balloon got caught in a young horse’s mouth causing him to bolt in fear unable to escape the balloon. He went through fence after fence, eventually collapsing in a neighbour’s farm. How he survived we do not know, but we fear this will not be the last time something like this happens.

“We have found dead birds and rabbits in sky lanterns all over the 160 acre site. And the real fear of one of these landing on our barns or properties full of hay, or on livestock, horses or people is just terrifying to us.”

As well as promoting the campaign on their Facebook page, the couple have contacted the RSPCA and Stroud District Council to discuss what can be done to raise awareness and decrease their use.

While they see banning the use of lanterns and balloons as somewhat optimistic for them alone, the couple would like support in their plans to put NFU signs warning of the danger at the entrances to viewpoints in the area.

“We feel that the more people that can see these the better as I suspect a large proportion of people don’t even consider what happens to them once they have been let off in to the sky,” said Kat.

The NFU’s campaign centres on asking members of the public to write to their local authorities urging them to introduce a voluntary ban.

Spain, Austria, Malta, Australia and most of Germany have banned the use of sky lanterns.

In 2012, DEFRA commissioned a review of the evidence to date on their use. The findings were that there are risks but that robust evidence was sparse at that time. Thus, the decision was made not to ban them in Britain despite the fact the NFU, RSPCA and other organisations actively support a ban.

For more information visit nfuonline.com.