Has your local council banned sky lanterns?
5th November 2023
Since 2019 the NFU’s petition to ban sky lanterns in the UK has gained over 100,000 signatures as more research is conducted into their potential ability to start wildfires, kill animals, destroy crops, set buildings alight, as well as littering the countryside. To date 188 councils out of 333 have banned them in England and Wales.
In November 2022 NFU members wrote to Environment Minister, Trudy Harrison MP, to ask for a national ban on sky lanterns. From this, Defra has commissioned further research into their harmful effects and negative agricultural impact to clarify the evidence before an official UK-wide ban can be put into law.
While this is ongoing, the NFU’s petition is still open for further signatures to strengthen the national campaign, and the public are being urged to make their opinions known to Defra in order to protect the British countryside and rural dwellers from these floating candles.
In a recent Facebook post the NFU stated : ‘If you are celebrating Bonfire Night, please keep your farming and animal neighbours in mind and don’t use a sky lantern.
“Warwickshire farmer Charlie shared these images with us from Bonfire Night last year, where he found a sky lantern about 100 yards from his straw barn, which is located next to his cattle sheds.
“They are flying fire bombs and the consequences if one was to land in the wrong place could be devastating.”
Here is the full list of UK councils that have banned the use of sky lanterns on council owned land so far:
| North East | Bradford City Council Calderdale Borough Council East Riding of Yorkshire Council Hartlepool Borough Council Kirklees Borough Council Leeds City Council North Yorkshire County Council Northumberland County Council Redcar & Cleveland Council Richmondshire District Council Selby District Council South Tyneside Borough Council Wakefield City Council City of Doncaster Council |
| North West | Bolton Borough Council Carlisle City Council Cheshire East Council Cheshire West and Chester Council Eden District Council Fylde Borough Council Halton Borough Council Lancaster City Council Manchester County Council Oldham Borough Council Preston City Council Rochdale Borough Council Salford City Council South Lakeland District Council Stockport Borough Council Tameside Borough Council Trafford Borough Council Wigan Borough Council Wirral Borough Council Wyre Borough Council |
| Wales | Anglesey (Ynys Môn) Blaenau Gwent Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) Caerphilly (Caerffili) Cardiff (Caerdydd) Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin) CeredigionConwy Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych) Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) GwyneddMerthyr Tydfil (Merthyr Tudful) Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy) Neath Port Talbot (Castell-nedd Port Talbot) Newport (Casnewydd) Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro) PowysRhondda Cynon Taf Swansea (Abertawe) Torfaen (Tor-faen) Vale of Glamorgan (Bro Morgannwg) Wrexham (Wrecsam) |
| West Midlands | Birmingham City Council Bromsgrove District Council Dudley Borough Council Herefordshire Council Malvern Hills District Council Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council Sandwell Borough Council Shropshire Council Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Staffordshire Borough Council Staffordshire County Council Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Telford and Wrekin Council Warwickshire County Council Warwick District Council Wolverhampton City Council Worcester City Council Worcestershire County Council Wychavon District Council Wyre Forest District Council |
| East Midlands | Amber Valley Borough Council Charnwood Borough Council Corby Borough Council Derbyshire Dales District Council Gedling Borough Council High Peak Borough Council Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Leicester City Council Lincoln City Council Newark & Sherwood District Council North East Derbyshire District Council Nottinghamshire County Council Rushcliffe Borough Council Rutland County Council South Holland District Council South Kesteven District Council West Lindsey District Council |
| East Anglia | Babergh District Council Basildon Borough Council Braintree District Council Breckland District Council Broadland District Council Broxbourne Council Colchester Borough Council Dacorum Borough Council East Suffolk District Council East Cambridgeshire District Council Essex County Council Fenland District Council Great Yarmouth Borough Council Hertfordshire County CouncilIpswich Borough Council Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council Maldon District Council Mid Suffolk District Council Norfolk County Council North Hertfordshire District Council North Norfolk District Council Norwich City Council Rochford District Council South Norfolk County Council Suffolk Coastal District Council Suffolk County Council Tendring District Council Three Rivers District Council Uttlesford District Council |
| South East | Arun District Council Bracknell Forest Borough Council Brighton and Hove District Council Canterbury City Council Chelmsford City Council Chesham Town Council Chichester District Council Crawley Borough Council Dover District Council Ealing Eastleigh Borough Council Gosport Borough Council Hampshire County Council Harrow Borough Council Hastings Borough Council Ipswich Borough Council Isle of Wight Council Lambeth Lewes District Council Lewisham Maidstone Borough Council Merton Mid Sussex District Council Milton Keynes Council Oxford City Council Portsmouth City Council Reading Borough Council Reigate & Banstead Borough Council Redbridge Rother District Council South Oxfordshire District Council Sutton Swale Borough Council Test Valley Borough Council Tendring Council Thanet District Council Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Vale of White Horse District Council Wandsworth Waverley Borough Council West Berkshire Council West Oxfordshire District Council Winchester City Council Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council Woking Borough Council Wycombe District Council |
| South West | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Bristol City Council Cheltenham Borough Council Cornwall Council East Devon District Council Folkestone & Hythe District Council Forest of Dean District Council Gloucester City CouncilIsles of Scilly Mid Devon District Council New Forest District Council North Somerset Council Plymouth City Council Sedgemoor District Council Somerset West and Taunton Council South Gloucestershire Council South Hams District Council Swindon Borough Council Teignbridge District Council Torbay Council West Devon Borough Council Wiltshire Council |
Sign the petition HERE.
